Magnetically aligned H I fibers and the rolling hough transform

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Clark, S. E.; Putman, M. E.; Peek, J. E. G. [Department of Astronomy, Columbia University, New York, NY (United States)

2014-07-01

We present observations of a new group of structures in the diffuse Galactic interstellar medium (ISM): slender, linear H I features we dub 'fibers' that extend for many degrees at high Galactic latitude. To characterize and measure the extent and strength of these fibers, we present the Rolling Hough Transform, a new machine vision method for parameterizing the coherent linearity of structures in the image plane. With this powerful new tool we show that the fibers are oriented along the interstellar magnetic field as probed by starlight polarization. We find that these low column density (N{sub H} {sub I}≃5×10{sup 18} cm{sup –2}) fiber features are most likely a component of the local cavity wall, about 100 pc away. The H I data we use to demonstrate this alignment at high latitude are from the Galactic Arecibo L-Band Feed Array H I (GALFA-H I) Survey and the Parkes Galactic All Sky Survey. We find better alignment in the higher resolution GALFA-H I data, where the fibers are more visually evident. This trend continues in our investigation of magnetically aligned linear features in the Riegel-Crutcher H I cold cloud, detected in the Southern Galactic Plane Survey. We propose an application of the RHT for estimating the field strength in such a cloud, based on the Chandrasekhar-Fermi method. We conclude that data-driven, quantitative studies of ISM morphology can be very powerful predictors of underlying physical quantities.

A New Three-Dimensional High-Accuracy Automatic Alignment System For Single-Mode Fibers

Science.gov (United States)

Yun-jiang, Rao; Shang-lian, Huang; Ping, Li; Yu-mei, Wen; Jun, Tang

1990-02-01

In order to achieve the low-loss splices of single-mode fibers, a new three-dimension high-accuracy automatic alignment system for single -mode fibers has been developed, which includes a new-type three-dimension high-resolution microdisplacement servo stage driven by piezoelectric elements, a new high-accuracy measurement system for the misalignment error of the fiber core-axis, and a special single chip microcomputer processing system. The experimental results show that alignment accuracy of ±0.1 pin with a movable stroke of -±20μm has been obtained. This new system has more advantages than that reported.

Enzyme activity assays within microstructured optical fibers enabled by automated alignment.

Science.gov (United States)

Warren-Smith, Stephen C; Nie, Guiying; Schartner, Erik P; Salamonsen, Lois A; Monro, Tanya M

2012-12-01

A fluorescence-based enzyme activity assay has been demonstrated within a small-core microstructured optical fiber (MOF) for the first time. To achieve this, a reflection-based automated alignment system has been developed, which uses feedback and piezoelectric actuators to maintain optical alignment. The auto-alignment system provides optical stability for the time required to perform an activity assay. The chosen assay is based on the enzyme proprotein convertase 5/6 (PC6) and has important applications in women's health.

Microfabrication of pre-aligned fiber bundle couplers using ultraviolet lithography of SU-8

OpenAIRE

Yang, Ren; Soper, Steven A.; Wang, Wanjun

2006-01-01

This paper describes the design, microfabrication and testing of a pre-aligned array of fiber couplers using direct UV-lithography of SU-8. The fiber coupler array includes an out-of-plane refractive microlens array and two fiberport collimator arrays. With the optical axis of the pixels parallel to the substrate, each pixel of the microlens array can be pre-aligned with the corresponding pixels of the fiberport collimator array as defined by the lithography mask design. This out-of-plane pol...

Laser printed glass planar lightwave circuits with integrated fiber alignment structures

Science.gov (United States)

Desmet, A.; Radosavljevic, A.; Missinne, J.; Van Thourhout, D.; Van Steenberge, G.

2018-02-01

Femtosecond laser inscription allows straightforward manufacturing of glass planar lightwave circuits such as waveguides, interferometers, directional couplers, resonators and more complex structures. Fiber alignment structures are needed to facilitate communication with the glass planar lightwave circuit. In this study, a technique is described to create optical waveguides and alignment structures in the same laser exposure step. Using an industrial ytterbium-doped 1030 nm fiber laser pulses of 400 fs were focused into glass with a 0.4 NA objective causing permanent alteration of the material. Depending on laser parameters this modification allows direct writing of waveguides or the creation of channels after exposing the irradiated volumes to an etchant such as KOH. Writing of channels and waveguides with different laser powers, frequencies, polarisations, stage translation speeds and scan densities were investigated in fused silica and borosilicate glass. Waveguides with controlled dimensions were created, as well as etched U-grooves with a diameter of 126 μm and a sidewall roughness Ra of 255 nm. Cut back measurements were performed giving a waveguide propagation loss of 1.1 dB/cm in borosilicate glass. A coupling loss of 0.7 dB was measured for a transition between the waveguide and standard single mode fiber at 1550 nm, using index matching liquid. The described technique eliminates active alignment requirements and is useful for many applications such as microfluidic sensing, PLCs, fan-out connectors for multicore fibers and quantum optical networks.

Focal adhesions, stress fibers and mechanical tension

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burridge, Keith, E-mail: Keith_Burridge@med.unc.edu [Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, 12-016 Lineberger, CB#7295, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (United States); Guilluy, Christophe, E-mail: christophe.guilluy@univ-nantes.fr [Inserm UMR-S1087, CNRS UMR-C6291, L' institut du Thorax, and Université de Nantes, Nantes (France)

2016-04-10

Stress fibers and focal adhesions are complex protein arrays that produce, transmit and sense mechanical tension. Evidence accumulated over many years led to the conclusion that mechanical tension generated within stress fibers contributes to the assembly of both stress fibers themselves and their associated focal adhesions. However, several lines of evidence have recently been presented against this model. Here we discuss the evidence for and against the role of mechanical tension in driving the assembly of these structures. We also consider how their assembly is influenced by the rigidity of the substratum to which cells are adhering. Finally, we discuss the recently identified connections between stress fibers and the nucleus, and the roles that these may play, both in cell migration and regulating nuclear function. - Highlights: • The different types of stress fiber and focal adhesion are described. • We discuss the controversy about tension and assembly of these structures. • We describe the different models used to investigate assembly of these structures. • The influence of substratum rigidity is discussed. • Stress fiber connections to the nucleus are reviewed.

Enhanced electrochemical activity using vertically aligned carbon nanotube electrodes grown on carbon fiber

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Evandro Augusto de Morais

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Vertically aligned carbon nanotubes were successfully grown on flexible carbon fibers by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The diameter of the CNT is controllable by adjusting the thickness of the catalyst Ni layer deposited on the fiber. Vertically aligned nanotubes were grown in a Plasma Enhanced Chemical Deposition system (PECVD at a temperature of 630 ºC, d.c. bias of -600 V and 160 and 68 sccm flow of ammonia and acetylene, respectively. Using cyclic voltammetry measurements, an increase of the surface area of our electrodes, up to 50 times higher, was observed in our samples with CNT. The combination of VACNTs with flexible carbon fibers can have a significant impact on applications ranging from sensors to electrodes for fuel cells.

Electro-magnetic properties of composites with aligned Fe-Co hollow fibers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seungchan Cho

2016-05-01

Full Text Available A novel Fe-Co binary hollow fiber was synthesized by electroless plating using hydrolyzed polyester fiber and its anisotropy characteristic was investigated for electromagnetic wave absorbing materials. The hollow fibers in parallel with magnetic field show higher saturated magnetization of 202 emu/g at the applied magnetic field of 10 kOe and lower coercivity (27.658 Oe, compared with the random and vertical oriented hollow fibers. From complex permittivity measurement, the Fe-Co hollow fiber composites clearly display a single dielectric resonance, located at ∼14 GHz. The Fe-Co hollow fibers not only provide excellent EM properties in GHz frequency ranges, resulting mainly from the strong resonance, but also adjust the soft magnetic properties through fiber alignments. The cavitary structure of the Fe-Co hollow fibers, not only giving rise to a dielectric loss resonance and also adjusting its peak frequency, may be a pathway to useful EM wave absorptive devices in GHz frequency ranges.

Formation of contractile networks and fibers in the medial cell cortex through myosin-II turnover, contraction, and stress-stabilization.

Science.gov (United States)

Nie, Wei; Wei, Ming-Tzo; Ou-Yang, H Daniel; Jedlicka, Sabrina S; Vavylonis, Dimitrios

2015-01-01

The morphology of adhered cells depends crucially on the formation of a contractile meshwork of parallel and cross-linked fibers along the contacting surface. The motor activity and minifilament assembly of non-muscle myosin-II is an important component of cortical cytoskeletal remodeling during mechanosensing. We used experiments and computational modeling to study cortical myosin-II dynamics in adhered cells. Confocal microscopy was used to image the medial cell cortex of HeLa cells stably expressing myosin regulatory light chain tagged with GFP (MRLC-GFP). The distribution of MRLC-GFP fibers and focal adhesions was classified into three types of network morphologies. Time-lapse movies show: myosin foci appearance and disappearance; aligning and contraction; stabilization upon alignment. Addition of blebbistatin, which perturbs myosin motor activity, leads to a reorganization of the cortical networks and to a reduction of contractile motions. We quantified the kinetics of contraction, disassembly and reassembly of myosin networks using spatio-temporal image correlation spectroscopy (STICS). Coarse-grained numerical simulations include bipolar minifilaments that contract and align through specified interactions as basic elements. After assuming that minifilament turnover decreases with increasing contractile stress, the simulations reproduce stress-dependent fiber formation in between focal adhesions above a threshold myosin concentration. The STICS correlation function in simulations matches the function measured in experiments. This study provides a framework to help interpret how different cortical myosin remodeling kinetics may contribute to different cell shape and rigidity depending on substrate stiffness. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Micro-vision servo control of a multi-axis alignment system for optical fiber assembly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Weihai; Yu, Fei; Qu, Jianliang; Chen, Wenjie; Zhang, Jianbin

2017-01-01

This paper describes a novel optical fiber assembly system featuring a multi-axis alignment function based on micro-vision feedback control. It consists of an active parallel alignment mechanism, a passive compensation mechanism, a micro-gripper and a micro-vision servo control system. The active parallel alignment part is a parallelogram-based design with remote-center-of-motion (RCM) function to achieve precise rotation without fatal lateral motion. The passive mechanism, with five degrees of freedom (5-DOF), is used to implement passive compensation for multi-axis errors. A specially designed 1-DOF micro-gripper mounted onto the active parallel alignment platform is adopted to grasp and rotate the optical fiber. A micro-vision system equipped with two charge-coupled device (CCD) cameras is introduced to observe the small field of view and obtain multi-axis errors for servo feedback control. The two CCD cameras are installed in an orthogonal arrangement—thus the errors can be easily measured via the captured images. Meanwhile, a series of tracking and measurement algorithms based on specific features of the target objects are developed. Details of the force and displacement sensor information acquisition in the assembly experiment are also provided. An experiment demonstrates the validity of the proposed visual algorithm by achieving the task of eliminating errors and inserting an optical fiber to the U-groove accurately. (paper)

MEMS Integrated Submount Alignment for Optoelectronics

Science.gov (United States)

Shakespeare, W. Jeffrey; Pearson, Raymond A.; Grenestedt, Joachim L.; Hutapea, Parsaoran; Gupta, Vikas

2005-02-01

One of the most expensive and time-consuming production processes for single-mode fiber-optic components is the alignment of the photonic chip or waveguide to the fiber. The alignment equipment is capital intensive and usually requires trained technicians to achieve desired results. Current technology requires active alignment since tolerances are only ~0.2 μ m or less for a typical laser diode. This is accomplished using piezoelectric actuated stages and active optical feedback. Joining technologies such as soldering, epoxy bonding, or laser welding may contribute significant postbond shift, and final coupling efficiencies are often less than 80%. This paper presents a method of adaptive optical alignment to freeze in place directly on an optical submount using a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) shape memory alloy (SMA) actuation technology. Postbond shift is eliminated since the phase change is the alignment actuation. This technology is not limited to optical alignment but can be applied to a variety of MEMS actuations, including nano-actuation and nano-alignment for biomedical applications. Experimental proof-of-concept results are discussed, and a simple analytical model is proposed to predict the stress strain behavior of the optical submount. Optical coupling efficiencies and alignment times are compared with traditional processes. The feasibility of this technique in high-volume production is discussed.

Designing the fiber volume ratio in SiC fiber-reinforced SiC ceramic composites under Hertzian stress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Kee Sung; Jang, Kyung Soon; Park, Jae Hong; Kim, Tae Woo; Han, In Sub; Woo, Sang Kuk

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Optimum fiber volume ratios in the SiC/SiC composite layers were designed under Hertzian stress. → FEM analysis and spherical indentation experiments were undertaken. → Boron nitride-pyrocarbon double coatings on the SiC fiber were effective. → Fiber volume ratio should be designed against flexural stress. -- Abstract: Finite element method (FEM) analysis and experimental studies are undertaken on the design of the fiber volume ratio in silicon carbide (SiC) fiber-reinforced SiC composites under indentation contact stresses. Boron nitride (BN)/Pyrocarbon (PyC) are selected as the coating materials for the SiC fiber. Various SiC matrix/coating/fiber/coating/matrix structures are modeled by introducing a woven fiber layer in the SiC matrix. Especially, this study attempts to find the optimum fiber volume ratio in SiC fiber-reinforced SiC ceramics under Hertzian stress. The analysis is performed by changing the fiber type, fiber volume ratio, coating material, number of coating layers, and stacking sequence of the coating layers. The variation in the stress for composites in relation to the fiber volume ratio in the contact axial or radial direction is also analyzed. The same structures are fabricated experimentally by a hot process, and the mechanical behaviors regarding the load-displacement are evaluated using the Hertzian indentation method. Various SiC matrix/coating/fiber/coating/matrix structures are fabricated, and mechanical characterization is performed by changing the coating layer, according to the introduction (or omission) of the coating layer, and the number of woven fiber mats. The results show that the damage mode changes from Hertzian stress to flexural stress as the fiber volume ratio increases in composites because of the decreased matrix volume fraction, which intensifies the radial crack damage. The result significantly indicates that the optimum fiber volume ratio in SiC fiber-reinforced SiC ceramics should be designed for

Design and prototyping of self-centering optical single-mode fiber alignment structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ebraert, Evert; Gao, Fei; Thienpont, Hugo; Van Erps, Jürgen; Beri, Stefano; Watté, Jan

2016-01-01

The European Commission’s goal of providing each European household with at least a 30 Mb s −1 Internet connection by 2020 would be facilitated by a widespread deployment of fibre-to-the-home, which would in turn be sped up by the development of connector essential components, such as high-precision alignment features. Currently, the performance of state-of-the-art physical contact optical fiber connectors is limited by the tolerance on the cladding of standard telecom-grade single-mode fiber (SMF), which is typically smaller than  ±1 μ m. We propose to overcome this limit by developing micro-spring-based self-centering alignment structures (SCAS) for SMF-connectors. We design these alignment structures with robustness and low-cost replication in mind, allowing for large-scale deployment. Both theoretical and finite element analysis (FEA) models are used to determine the optimal dimensions of the beams of which the micro-springs of the SCAS are comprised. Two topologies of the SCAS, consisting of three and four micro-springs respectively, are investigated for two materials: polysulfone (PSU) and polyetherimide (PEI). These materials hold great potential for high-performance fiber connectors while being compatible with low-cost production and with the harsh environmental operation conditions of those connectors. The theory and FEA agree well (<3% difference) for a simple micro-spring. When including a pedestal on the micro-spring (to bring it further away from the fiber) and for shorter spring lengths the agreement worsens. This is due to spring compression effects not being taken into account in our theoretical model. Prototypes are successfully fabricated using deep proton writing and subsequently characterized. The controlled insertion of an SMF in the SCAS is investigated and we determine that a force of 0.11 N is required. The fiber insertion also causes an out-of-plane deformation of the micro-springs in the SCAS of about 7 μ m, which is no

Fiber-based polarimetric stress sensor for measuring the Young's modulus of biomaterials

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, Mark C.; Armani, Andrea M.

2015-03-01

Polarimetric optical fiber-based stress and pressure sensors have proven to be a robust tool for measuring and detecting changes in the Young's modulus (E) of materials in response to external stimuli, including the real-time monitoring of the structural integrity of bridges and buildings. These sensors typically work by using a pair of polarizers before and after the sensing region of the fiber, and often require precise alignment to achieve high sensitivity. The ability to perform similar measurements in natural and in engineered biomaterials could provide significant insights and enable research advancement and preventative healthcare. However, in order for this approach to be successful, it is necessary to reduce the complexity of the system by removing free-space components and the need for alignment. As the first step in this path, we have developed a new route for performing these measurements. By generalizing and expanding established theoretical analyses for these types of sensors, we have developed a predictive theoretical model. Additionally, by replacing the conventional free space components and polarization filters with a polarimeter, we have constructed a sensor system with higher sensitivity and which is semi-portable. In initial experiments, a series of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) samples with several base:curing agent ratios ranging from 5:1 up to 30:1 were prepared to simulate tissues with different stiffnesses. By simultaneously producing stress-strain curves using a load frame and monitoring the polarization change of light traveling through the samples, we verified the accuracy of our theoretical model.

Modulation of anisotropy in electrospun tissue-engineering scaffolds: Analysis of fiber alignment by the fast Fourier transform

Science.gov (United States)

Ayres, Chantal; Bowlin, Gary L.; Henderson, Scott C.; Taylor, Leander; Shultz, Jackie; Alexander, John; Telemeco, Todd A.; Simpson, David G.

2010-01-01

We describe the use of the fast Fourier transform (FFT) in the measurement of anisotropy in electrospun scaffolds of gelatin as a function of the starting conditions. In electrospinning, fiber alignment and overall scaffold anisotropy can be manipulated by controlling the motion of the collecting mandrel with respect to the source electrospinning solution. By using FFT to assign relative alignment values to an electrospun matrix it is possible to systematically evaluate how different processing variables impact the structure and material properties of a scaffold. Gelatin was suspended at varying concentrations (80, 100, 130, 150 mg/ml) and electrospun from 2,2,2 trifluoroethanol onto rotating mandrels (200–7000 RPM). At each starting concentration, fiber diameter remained constant over a wide range of mandrel RPM. Scaffold anisotropy developed as a function of fiber diameter and mandrel RPM. The induction of varying degrees of anisotropy imparted distinctive material properties to the electrospun scaffolds. The FFT is a rapid method for evaluating fiber alignment in tissue-engineering materials. PMID:16859744

Mechanical property and biological performance of electrospun silk fibroin-polycaprolactone scaffolds with aligned fibers.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Han; Shi, Hongfei; Qiu, Xushen; Chen, Yixin

2016-01-01

The mechanical strength, biocompatibility, and sterilizability of silk fibroin allow it to be a possible candidate as a natural bone regenerate material. To improve mechanical character and reinforce the cell movement induction, silk fibroin (SF)-polycaprolactone (PCL) alloy was fabricated by electrospinning techniques with a rotating collector to form aligned fibrous scaffolds and random-oriented scaffolds. The scanning electron microscope image of the scaffold and the mechanical properties of the scaffold were investigated by tensile mechanical tests, which were compared to random-oriented scaffolds. Furthermore, mesenchymal stem cells were planted on these scaffolds to investigate the biocompatibility, elongation, and cell movement in situ. Scanning electron microscopy shows that 91% fibers on the aligned fibroin scaffold were distributed between the dominant direction ±10°. With an ideal support for stem cell proliferation in vitro, the aligned fibrous scaffold induces cell elongation at a length of 236.46 ± 82 μm and distribution along the dominant fiber direction with a cell alignment angle at 6.57° ± 4.45°. Compared with random-oriented scaffolds made by artificial materials, aligned SF-PCL scaffolds could provide a moderate mesenchymal stem cell engraftment interface and speed up early stage cell movement toward the bone defect.

Coatings influencing thermal stress in photonic crystal fiber laser

Science.gov (United States)

Pang, Dongqing; Li, Yan; Li, Yao; Hu, Minglie

2018-06-01

We studied how coating materials influence the thermal stress in the fiber core for three holding methods by simulating the temperature distribution and the thermal stress distribution in the photonic-crystal fiber laser. The results show that coating materials strongly influence both the thermal stress in the fiber core and the stress differences caused by holding methods. On the basis of the results, a two-coating PCF was designed. This design reduces the stress differences caused by variant holding conditions to zero, then the stability of laser operations can be improved.

Stress transfer around a broken fiber in unidirectional fiber-reinforced composites considering matrix damage evolution and interface slipping

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Zhong; Zhang, BoMing; Zhao, Lin; Sun, XinYang

2011-02-01

A shear-lag model is applied to study the stress transfer around a broken fiber within unidirectional fiber-reinforced composites (FRC) subjected to uniaxial tensile loading along the fiber direction. The matrix damage and interfacial debonding, which are the main failure modes, are considered in the model. The maximum stress criterion with the linear damage evolution theory is used for the matrix. The slipping friction stress is considered in the interfacial debonding region using Coulomb friction theory, in which interfacial clamping stress comes from radial residual stress and mismatch of Poisson's ratios of constituents (fiber and matrix). The stress distributions in the fiber and matrix are obtained by the shear-lag theory added with boundary conditions, which includes force continuity and displacement compatibility constraints in the broken and neighboring intact fibers. The result gives axial stress distribution in fibers and shear stress in the interface and compares the theory reasonably well with the measurement by a polarized light microscope. The relation curves between damage, debonding and ineffective region lengths with external strain loading are obtained.

Bending test in epoxy composites reinforced with continuous and aligned PALF fibers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriel Oliveira Glória

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Sustainable actions aiming to prevent increasing worldwide pollution are motivating the substitution of environmentally friendly materials for conventional synthetic ones. A typical example is the use of natural lignocellulosic fiber (LCF as reinforcement of polymer composites that have traditionally been reinforced with glass fiber. Both scientific research and engineering applications support the use of numerous LCFs composites. The pineapple fiber (PALF, extracted from the leaves of Ananas comosus, is considered a LCF with potential for composite reinforcement. However, specific mechanical properties and microstructural characterization are still necessary for this purpose. Therefore, the objective of this short work is to evaluate the flexural properties, by means of three points, bend tests, of epoxy composites incorporated with up to 30 vol% of PALF. Results reveal that continuous and aligned fibers significantly increase the flexural strength. Scanning electron microscopy disclosed the fracture mechanism responsible for this reinforcement. Keywords: Pineapple fibers, PALF, Flexural properties, Bending test, Epoxy composites, Fracture mechanism

Axial contraction in etched optical fiber due to internal stress reduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Kok-Sing; Yang, Hang-Zhou; Chong, Wu-Yi; Cheong, Yew-Ken; Lim, Chin-Hong; Ali, Norfizah M; Ahmad, Harith

2013-02-11

When an optical fiber is dipped in an etching solution, the internal stress profile in the fiber varies with the fiber diameter. We observed a physical contraction as much as 0.2% in the fiber axial dimension when the fiber was reduced from its original diameter to ~6 µm through analysis using high resolution microscope images of the grating period of an etched FBG at different fiber diameters. This axial contraction is related to the varying axial stress profile in the fiber when the fiber diameter is reduced. On top of that, the refractive index of fiber core increases with reducing fiber diameter due to stress-optic effect. The calculated index increment is as much as 1.8 × 10(-3) at the center of fiber core after the diameter is reduced down to ~6 µm. In comparison with the conventional model that assumes constant grating period and neglects the variation in stress-induced index change in fiber core, our proposed model indicates a discrepancy as much as 3nm in Bragg wavelength at a fiber diameter of ~6 µm.

A thermodynamical model for stress-fiber organization in contractile cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Foucard, Louis; Vernerey, Franck J

2012-01-02

Cell mechanical adaptivity to external stimuli is vital to many of its biological functions. A critical question is therefore to understand the formation and organization of the stress fibers from which emerge the cell's mechanical properties. By accounting for the mechanical aspects and the viscoelastic behavior of stress fibers, we here propose a thermodynamic model to predict the formation and orientation of stress fibers in contractile cells subjected to constant or cyclic stretch and different substrate stiffness. Our results demonstrate that the stress fibers viscoelastic behavior plays a crucial role in their formation and organization and shows good consistency with various experiments.

A study on thermal residual stresses in the matrix and fiber of a misoriented short fiber composite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Son, Bong Jin; Lee, Joon Hyun

1994-01-01

An elastic model is developed to predict the average thermal residual stresses in the matrix and fiber of a misoriented short fiber composite. The thermal residual stresses are induced by the mismatch in the coefficient of the thermal expansion of the matrix and fiber when the composite is subjected to a uniform temperature change. The model considers two special cases of fiber misorientation; two-dimensional in-plane and three-dimensional axisymmetric. The analytical formulation of the model is based on Eshelby's equivalent inclusion method and is unique in that it is able to account for interactions among fibers. The model is more general than past models and it is able to treat prior analyses of the simpler composite systems as extream cases. The present model is to investigate the effects of fiber volume fraction, distribution type, distribution cut-off angle, and aspect ratio on thermal residual stress for both in-plane and axisymmetric fiber misorientation. Fiber volume fraction, aspect ratio, and disturbution cut-off angle are shown to have more significant effects on the magnitude of the thermal residual stresses than fiber distrubution type for both in-plane and axisymmetric misorientation.

Effect of fiber extensibility on the fracture toughness of short fiber or brittle matrix composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jain, L.K.; Wetherhold, R.C.

1992-01-01

A micromechanical model based on probabilistic principles is proposed to determine the effective fracture toughness increment and the bridging stress-crack opening displacement relationship for brittle matrix composites reinforced with short, poorly bonded fibers. Emphasis is placed on studying the effect of fiber extensibility on the bridging stress and the bridging fracture energy, and to determine its importance in cementitious matrix composites. Since the fibers may not be in an ideal aligned or random state, the analysis is placed in sufficiently general terms to consider any prescribable fiber orientation distribution. The model incorporates the snubbing effect observed during pull-out of fibers inclined at an angle to the crack face normal. In addition, the model allows the fibers to break; any fiber whose load meets or exceeds a single-valued failure stress will fracture rather than pull out. The crack bridging results may be expressed as the sum of results for inextensible fibers and an additional term due to fiber extensibility. An exact analysis is given which gives the steady-state bridging toughness G directly, but presents a non-linear problem for the bridging stress-crack opening (σ b -γ) relationship. An approximate analysis is then presented which gives both G and σ b -γ directly. To illustrate the effect extensibility on bridging stress and fracture energy increment due to bridging fibers, a comparison with the inextensible fiber case is provided. It is found that effect of extensibility on fracture energy is negligible for common materials systems. However extensibility may have a significant effect on the bridging stress-crack opening relationship. The effect of other physical and material parameters such as fiber length, fiber orientation and snubbing friction coefficient is also studied. 28 refs., 9 figs., 1 tab

Natural fiber composite design and characterization for limit stress prediction in multiaxial stress state

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher C. Ihueze

2015-07-01

Full Text Available This paper focuses on the design of natural fiber composites and analysis of multiaxial stresses in relation to yield limit stresses of composites loaded off the fibers axis. ASTM D638-10 standard for tensile test was used to design and compose composites of plantain fiber reinforced polyester (PFRP. While the rule of mixtures was used in the evaluation of properties of composites in the fiber direction the evaluation of properties perpendicular or transverse to the fiber direction was done based on the value of the orthogonal stresses evaluated using ANSYS finite element software, the application of the Brintrup equation and Halpin–Tai equation. The yield strength for the plantain empty fruit bunch fiber reinforced polyester resin (PEFBFRP was estimated as 33.69 MPa while the yield strength of plantain pseudo stem fiber reinforced polyester resin (PPSFRP was estimated as 29.24 MPa. Above all, the PEFBFRP with average light absorbance peak of 45.47 was found to have better mechanical properties than the PPSFRP with average light absorbance peak of 45.77.

Coupling characteristics of the spun optical fiber with triple stress elements

Science.gov (United States)

Ji, Minning; Shang, Fengtao; Chen, Dandan

2018-06-01

An empirical formula related to the stress field distribution in the optical fiber with triple stress elements is proposed and proved. The possible intercoupling between the fundamental modes and the higher order modes is demonstrated. The transmission property of the spun optical fiber with triple stress elements is analyzed. The experimental data from a sample of the spun optical fiber with triple stress elements confirm the theoretical results very well.

A thermodynamical model for stress-fiber organization in contractile cells

OpenAIRE

Foucard, Louis; Vernerey, Franck J.

2012-01-01

Cell mechanical adaptivity to external stimuli is vital to many of its biological functions. A critical question is therefore to understand the formation and organization of the stress fibers from which emerge the cell’s mechanical properties. By accounting for the mechanical aspects and the viscoelastic behavior of stress fibers, we here propose a thermodynamic model to predict the formation and orientation of stress fibers in contractile cells subjected to constant or cyclic stretch and dif...

Collagen fiber alignment and biaxial mechanical behavior of porcine urinary bladder derived extracellular matrix

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gilbert, Thomas W.; Wognum, Silvia; Joyce, Erinn M.; Freytes, Donald O.; Sacks, Michael S.; Badylak, Stephen F.

2008-01-01

The collagen fiber alignment and biomechanical behavior of naturally occurring extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffolds are important considerations for the design of medical devices from these materials. Both should be considered in order to produce a device to meet tissue specific mechanical

Stress transfer of a Kevlar 49 fiber pullout test studied by micro-Raman spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Lei, Zhenkun; Wang, Quan; Qiu, Wei

2013-06-01

The interfacial stress transfer behavior of a Kevlar 49 aramid fiber-epoxy matrix was studied with fiber pullout tests, the fibers of which were stretched by a homemade microloading device. Raman spectra on the embedded fiber were recorded by micro-Raman spectroscopy, under different strain levels. Then, the fiber axial stress was obtained by the relationship between the stress and Raman shift of the aramid fiber. Experimental results revealed that the fiber axial stress increased significantly with the load. The shear stress concentration occurred at the fiber entry to the epoxy resin. Thus, interfacial friction stages exist in the debonded fiber segment, and the interfacial friction shear stress is constant within one stage. The experimental results are consistent with the theoretical model predictions.

Fabrication and Protein Conjugation of Aligned Polypyrrole-Poly(L-lactic acid) Fibers Film with the Conductivity and Stability.

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Jiabang; Huang, Zhongbing; Yin, Guangfu; Yang, Anneng; Han, Wei

2016-03-01

The conducting composite scaffold, including fiber-cores of aligned poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and shell-layer of polypyrrole (PPy), was fabricated, and then bovine serum albumin (BSA) was conjugated on the PPy shell-layer. Aligned PLLA fibers (about 300 nm diameter) were obtained by electrospinning and rotating drum collection, and then coated by PPy nanoparticles (NPs, about 50 nm diameter) via chemical oxidation. The surface resistivity of PPy-PLLA fibers film were 0.971, 0.874 kΩ. cm at the fiber's vertical and parallel directions, respectively. The results of PPy-PLLA fibers film immersed in phosphate buffer saline for 8 d indicated that the fibers morphology and the film conductivity were not significantly changed, and the fluorescent images showed that FITC-labeled BSA (FITC-BSA) were successfully conjugated in the fibers film with carbodiimide chemistry, and the largest amount of FITC-BSA conjugated in the fibers film from 100 μg/mL proteins solution was 31.31 μg/cm2 due to lots of poly(glutamic acid) in surface-nanogrooves of the fibers surface. Under electrical stimulation of 100 mV, the fibers film was accompanied the release of all conjugated FITC-BSA with the detachment of some PPy NPs. These results suggested that PPy-PLLA fibers film would be potentially applied in the construction of degradable tissue engineering scaffold with protein factors, especially neurotrophic factors for nerve tissue repair.

Stress-Strain Relationship of Synthetic Fiber Reinforced Concrete Columns

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosidawani

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Many empirical confinement models for normal and high strength concrete have been developed. Nevertheless, reported studies in the term of confinement of fiber reinforced concrete are limited. Whereas, the use of fiber reinforced concrete in structural elements has become the subject of the research and has indicated positive experiences. Since the stress-strain relationship of concrete in compression is required for analysis of structural members, the study of the stress-strain relationship for synthetic fiber reinforced concrete is substantial. The aim of the study is to examine the capabilities of the various models available in the literature to predict the actual experimental behavior of synthetic fiber reinforced high-strength concrete columns. The experimental data used are the results of the circular column specimens with the spiral spacing and the volume fraction of synthetic fiber as the test variables. The axial stress-strain curves from the tests are then compared with the various models of confinement from the literature. The performance index of each model is measured by using the coefficient of variation (COV concept of stress and strain behavior parameter. Among the confinement models, Cusson model shows the closest valid value of the coefficient of variation.

Stress transfer in microdroplet tensile test: PVC-coated and uncoated Kevlar-29 single fiber

Science.gov (United States)

Zhenkun, Lei; Quan, Wang; Yilan, Kang; Wei, Qiu; Xuemin, Pan

2010-11-01

The single fiber/microdroplet tensile test is applied for evaluating the interfacial mechanics between a fiber and a resin substrate. It is used to investigate the influence of a polymer coating on a Kevlar-29 fiber surface, specifically the stress transfer between the fiber and epoxy resin in a microdroplet. Unlike usual tests, this new test ensures a symmetrical axial stress on the embedded fiber and reduces the stress singularity that appears at the embedded fiber entry. Using a homemade loading device, symmetrical tensile tests are performed on a Kevlar-29 fiber with or without polyvinylchloride (PVC) coating, the surface of which is in contact with two epoxy resin microdroplets during curing. Raman spectra on the embedded fiber are recorded by micro-Raman Spectroscopy under different strain levels. Then they are transformed to the distributions of fiber axis stress based on the relationship between stress and Raman shift. The Raman results reveal that the fiber axial stresses increase with the applied loads, and the antisymmetric interfacial shear stresses, obtained by a straightforward balance of shear-to-axial forces argument, lead to the appearance of shear stress concentrations at a distance to the embedded fiber entry. The load is transferred from the outer fiber to the embedded fiber in the epoxy microdroplet. As is observed by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), the existence of a flexible polymer coating on the fiber surface reduces the stress transfer efficiency.

Impact of elastin incorporation into electrochemically aligned collagen fibers on mechanical properties and smooth muscle cell phenotype.

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Thuy-Uyen; Bashur, Chris A; Kishore, Vipuil

2016-03-17

Application of tissue-engineered vascular grafts (TEVGs) for the replacement of small-diameter arteries is limited due to thrombosis and intimal hyperplasia. Previous studies have attempted to address the limitations of TEVGs by developing scaffolds that mimic the composition (collagen and elastin) of native arteries to better match the mechanical properties of the graft with the native tissue. However, most existing scaffolds do not recapitulate the aligned topography of the collagen fibers found in native vessels. In the current study, based on the principles of isoelectric focusing, two different types of elastin (soluble and insoluble) were incorporated into highly oriented electrochemically aligned collagen (ELAC) fibers and the effect of elastin incorporation on the mechanical properties of the ELAC fibers and smooth muscle cell (SMC) phenotype was investigated. The results indicate that elastin incorporation significantly decreased the modulus of ELAC fibers to converge upon that of native vessels. Further, a significant increase in yield strain and decrease in Young's modulus was observed on all fibers post SMC culture compared with before the culture. Real-time polymerase chain reaction results showed a significant increase in the expression of α-smooth muscle actin and calponin on ELAC fibers with insoluble elastin, suggesting that incorporation of insoluble elastin induces a contractile phenotype in SMCs after two weeks of culture on ELAC fibers. Immunofluorescence results showed that calponin expression increased with time on all fibers. In conclusion, insoluble elastin incorporated ELAC fibers have the potential to be used for the development of functional TEVGs for the repair and replacement of small-diameter arteries.

Tomographic measurement of femtosecond-laser induced stress changes in optical fibers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duerr, F.; Limberger, H.G.; Salathe, R.P.; Hindle, F.; Douay, M.; Fertein, E.; Przygodzki, C.

2004-01-01

The tomographic measurement of the residual stress profile in femtosecond-laser irradiated standard SMF-28 germanium-doped telecommunication fiber is demonstrated. The fiber is irradiated with weakly focused pulses to realize long-period fiber gratings. In the irradiated grating regions, an asymmetrical increase in axial core stress up to 6.2 kg/mm2 is found. The increase in stress is attributed to a densification of the irradiated glass matrix. The stress-induced anisotropic index distribution is calculated and related to the absolute index change in the irradiated regions

Three-dimensional matrix fiber alignment modulates cell migration and MT1-MMP utility by spatially and temporally directing protrusions

Science.gov (United States)

Fraley, Stephanie I.; Wu, Pei-Hsun; He, Lijuan; Feng, Yunfeng; Krisnamurthy, Ranjini; Longmore, Gregory D.; Wirtz, Denis

2015-10-01

Multiple attributes of the three-dimensional (3D) extracellular matrix (ECM) have been independently implicated as regulators of cell motility, including pore size, crosslink density, structural organization, and stiffness. However, these parameters cannot be independently varied within a complex 3D ECM protein network. We present an integrated, quantitative study of these parameters across a broad range of complex matrix configurations using self-assembling 3D collagen and show how each parameter relates to the others and to cell motility. Increasing collagen density resulted in a decrease and then an increase in both pore size and fiber alignment, which both correlated significantly with cell motility but not bulk matrix stiffness within the range tested. However, using the crosslinking enzyme Transglutaminase II to alter microstructure independently of density revealed that motility is most significantly predicted by fiber alignment. Cellular protrusion rate, protrusion orientation, speed of migration, and invasion distance showed coupled biphasic responses to increasing collagen density not predicted by 2D models or by stiffness, but instead by fiber alignment. The requirement of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity was also observed to depend on microstructure, and a threshold of MMP utility was identified. Our results suggest that fiber topography guides protrusions and thereby MMP activity and motility.

JNK2 promotes endothelial cell alignment under flow.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cornelia Hahn

Full Text Available Endothelial cells in straight, unbranched segments of arteries elongate and align in the direction of flow, a feature which is highly correlated with reduced atherosclerosis in these regions. The mitogen-activated protein kinase c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK is activated by flow and is linked to inflammatory gene expression and apoptosis. We previously showed that JNK activation by flow is mediated by integrins and is observed in cells plated on fibronectin but not on collagen or basement membrane proteins. We now show thatJNK2 activation in response to laminar shear stress is biphasic, with an early peak and a later peak. Activated JNK localizes to focal adhesions at the ends of actin stress fibers, correlates with integrin activation and requires integrin binding to the extracellular matrix. Reducing JNK2 activation by siRNA inhibits alignment in response to shear stress. Cells on collagen, where JNK activity is low, align slowly. These data show that an inflammatory pathway facilitates adaptation to laminar flow, thereby revealing an unexpected connection between adaptation and inflammatory pathways.

Coaxial electrospun aligned tussah silk fibroin nanostructured fiber scaffolds embedded with hydroxyapatite–tussah silk fibroin nanoparticles for bone tissue engineering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shao, Weili [Key Laboratory of Advanced Textile Composites, Ministry of Education, Institute of Textile Composites, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387 (China); He, Jianxin, E-mail: hejianxin771117@163.com [College of Textiles, Zhongyuan University of Technology, Zhengzhou 450007 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Textile and Garment Industry, Henan Province, Zhengzhou 450007 (China); Sang, Feng [Department of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Treatment and Research Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450007 (China); Ding, Bin [College of Textiles, Zhongyuan University of Technology, Zhengzhou 450007 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Textile and Garment Industry, Henan Province, Zhengzhou 450007 (China); Chen, Li, E-mail: chenli@tjpu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Advanced Textile Composites, Ministry of Education, Institute of Textile Composites, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387 (China); Cui, Shizhong; Li, Kejing; Han, Qiming; Tan, Weilin [College of Textiles, Zhongyuan University of Technology, Zhengzhou 450007 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Textile and Garment Industry, Henan Province, Zhengzhou 450007 (China)

2016-01-01

The bone is a composite of inorganic and organic materials and possesses a complex hierarchical architecture consisting of mineralized fibrils formed by collagen molecules and coated with oriented hydroxyapatite. To regenerate bone tissue, it is necessary to provide a scaffold that mimics the architecture of the extracellular matrix in native bone. Here, we describe one such scaffold, a nanostructured composite with a core made of a composite of hydroxyapatite and tussah silk fibroin. The core is encased in a shell of tussah silk fibroin. The composite fibers were fabricated by coaxial electrospinning using green water solvent and were characterized using different techniques. In comparison to nanofibers of pure tussah silk, composite notably improved mechanical properties, with 90-fold and 2-fold higher initial modulus and breaking stress, respectively, obtained. Osteoblast-like MG-63 cells were cultivated on the composite to assess its suitability as a scaffold for bone tissue engineering. We found that the fiber scaffold supported cell adhesion and proliferation and functionally promoted alkaline phosphatase and mineral deposition relevant for biomineralization. In addition, the composite were more biocompatible than pure tussah silk fibroin or cover slip. Thus, the nanostructured composite has excellent biomimetic and mechanical properties and is a potential biocompatible scaffold for bone tissue engineering. - Highlights: • A designing scaffold strategy to imitate the mineralized collagen bundles in natural bone was presented. • Aligned nanostructured composite fibers were fabricated by coaxial electrospinning using green water solvent. • Mechanical properties of aligned TSF nanofiber had been significantly improved by embedding with composite nanoparticles. • Composite scaffolds effectively supported proliferation of MG-63 cells and promoted biomineralization.

Mechanical function near defects in an aligned nanofiber composite is preserved by inclusion of disorganized layers: Insight into meniscus structure and function.

Science.gov (United States)

Bansal, Sonia; Mandalapu, Sai; Aeppli, Céline; Qu, Feini; Szczesny, Spencer E; Mauck, Robert L; Zgonis, Miltiadis H

2017-07-01

The meniscus is comprised of circumferentially aligned fibers that resist the tensile forces within the meniscus (i.e., hoop stress) that develop during loading of the knee. Although these circumferential fibers are severed by radial meniscal tears, tibial contact stresses do not increase until the tear reaches ∼90% of the meniscus width, suggesting that the severed circumferential fibers still bear load and maintain the mechanical functionality of the meniscus. Recent data demonstrates that the interfibrillar matrix can transfer strain energy to disconnected fibrils in tendon fascicles. In the meniscus, interdigitating radial tie fibers, which function to stabilize and bind the circumferential fibers together, are hypothesized to function in a similar manner by transmitting load to severed circumferential fibers near a radial tear. To test this hypothesis, we developed an engineered fibrous analog of the knee meniscus using poly(ε-caprolactone) to create aligned scaffolds with variable amounts of non-aligned elements embedded within the scaffold. We show that the tensile properties of these scaffolds are a function of the ratio of aligned to non-aligned elements, and change in a predictable fashion following a simple mixture model. When measuring the loss of mechanical function in scaffolds with a radial tear, compared to intact scaffolds, the decrease in apparent linear modulus was reduced in scaffolds containing non-aligned layers compared to purely aligned scaffolds. Increased strains in areas adjacent to the defect were also noted in composite scaffolds. These findings indicate that non-aligned (disorganized) elements interspersed within an aligned network can improve overall mechanical function by promoting strain transfer to nearby disconnected fibers. This finding supports the notion that radial tie fibers may similarly promote tear tolerance in the knee meniscus, and will direct changes in clinical practice and provide guidance for tissue engineering

Residual stress analysis in carbon fiber-reinforced SiC ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Broda, M.

1998-01-01

Systematic residual stress analyses are reported, carried out in long-fiber reinforced SiC ceramics. The laminated C fiber /SiC matrix specimens used were prepared by polymer pyrolysis, and the structural component specimens used are industrial products. Various diffraction methods have been applied for non-destructive evaluation of residual stress fields, so as to completely detect the residual stresses and their distribution in the specimens. The residual stress fields at the surface (μm) have been measured using characteristic X-radiation and applying the sin 2 ψ method as well as the scatter vector method. For residual stress field analysis in the mass volume (cm), neutron diffraction has been applied. The stress fields in the fiber layers (approx. 250μm) have been measured as a function of their location within the laminated composite by using an energy-dispersive method and synchrotron radiation. By means of the systematic, process-accompanying residual stress and phase analyses, conclusions can be drawn as to possible approaches for optimization of fabrication parameters. (orig./CB) [de

Core stress distribution of phase shifting multimode polymer optical fiber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Furukawa, Rei; Matsuura, Motoharu; Nagata, Morio; Mishima, Kenji; Inoue, Azusa; Tagaya, Akihiro; Koike, Yasuhiro

2013-01-01

Poly-(methyl methacrylate-co-benzyl methacrylate) polarization-maintaining optical fibers are known for their high response to normal stress. In this report, responses to higher stress levels up to 0.45 MPa were investigated. The stress amplitude and direction in the fiber cross section were calculated and analyzed with a coincident mode-field obtained from the near-field pattern. The stress amplitude varies significantly in the horizontal direction and is considered to create multiple phases, explaining the measurement results. To investigate possible permanent deformation, the core yield point profile was analyzed. Although it largely exceeds the average applied stress, the calculated stress distribution indicates that the core could partially experience stress that exceeds the yield point

Comparison of cell behavior on pva/pva-gelatin electrospun nanofibers with random and aligned configuration

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Chen-Yu; Hu, Keng-Hsiang; Wei, Zung-Hang

2016-12-01

Electrospinning technique is able to create nanofibers with specific orientation. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) have good mechanical stability but poor cell adhesion property due to the low affinity of protein. In this paper, extracellular matrix, gelatin is incorporated into PVA solution to form electrospun PVA-gelatin nanofibers membrane. Both randomly oriented and aligned nanofibers are used to investigate the topography-induced behavior of fibroblasts. Surface morphology of the fibers is studied by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with image analysis. Functional group composition in PVA or PVA-gelatin is investigated by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR). The morphological changes, surface coverage, viability and proliferation of fibroblasts influenced by PVA and PVA-gelatin nanofibers with randomly orientated or aligned configuration are systematically compared. Fibroblasts growing on PVA-gelatin fibers show significantly larger projected areas as compared with those cultivated on PVA fibers which p-value is smaller than 0.005. Cells on PVA-gelatin aligned fibers stretch out extensively and their intracellular stress fiber pull nucleus to deform. Results suggest that instead of the anisotropic topology within the scaffold trigger the preferential orientation of cells, the adhesion of cell membrane to gelatin have substantial influence on cellular behavior.

An integrated enhancement and reconstruction strategy for the quantitative extraction of actin stress fibers from fluorescence micrographs.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhen; Xia, Shumin; Kanchanawong, Pakorn

2017-05-22

The stress fibers are prominent organization of actin filaments that perform important functions in cellular processes such as migration, polarization, and traction force generation, and whose collective organization reflects the physiological and mechanical activities of the cells. Easily visualized by fluorescence microscopy, the stress fibers are widely used as qualitative descriptors of cell phenotypes. However, due to the complexity of the stress fibers and the presence of other actin-containing cellular features, images of stress fibers are relatively challenging to quantitatively analyze using previously developed approaches, requiring significant user intervention. This poses a challenge for the automation of their detection, segmentation, and quantitative analysis. Here we describe an open-source software package, SFEX (Stress Fiber Extractor), which is geared for efficient enhancement, segmentation, and analysis of actin stress fibers in adherent tissue culture cells. Our method made use of a carefully chosen image filtering technique to enhance filamentous structures, effectively facilitating the detection and segmentation of stress fibers by binary thresholding. We subdivided the skeletons of stress fiber traces into piecewise-linear fragments, and used a set of geometric criteria to reconstruct the stress fiber networks by pairing appropriate fiber fragments. Our strategy enables the trajectory of a majority of stress fibers within the cells to be comprehensively extracted. We also present a method for quantifying the dimensions of the stress fibers using an image gradient-based approach. We determine the optimal parameter space using sensitivity analysis, and demonstrate the utility of our approach by analyzing actin stress fibers in cells cultured on various micropattern substrates. We present an open-source graphically-interfaced computational tool for the extraction and quantification of stress fibers in adherent cells with minimal user input. This

Effects of thermal residual stresses and fiber packing on deformation of metal-matrix composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakamura, T.; Suresh, S.

1993-01-01

The combined effects of thermal residual stresses and fiber spatial distribution on the deformation of a 6061 aluminum alloy containing a fixed concentration unidirectional boron fibers have been analyzed using detailed finite element models. The geometrical structure includes perfectly periodic, uniformly space fiber arrangements in square and hexagonal cells, as well as different cells in which either 30 or 60 fibers are randomly placed in the ductile matrix. The model involves an elastic-plastic matrix, elastic fibers, and mechanically bonded interfaces. The results indicate that both fiber packing and thermal residual stresses can have a significant effect on the stress-strain characteristics of the composite. The thermal residual stresses cause pronounced matrix yielding which also influences the apparent overall stiffness of the composite during the initial stages of subsequent far-field loading along the axial and transverse direction. Furthermore, the thermal residual stresses apparently elevate the flow stress of the composite during transverse tension. Such effects can be traced back to the level of constraint imposed on the matrix by local fiber spacing. The implications of the present results to the processing of the composites are also briefly addressed

Tensile Mechanical Properties and Dynamic Collagen Fiber Re-Alignment of the Murine Cervix are Dramatically Altered Throughout Pregnancy.

Science.gov (United States)

Barnum, Carrie E; Fey, Jennifer L; Weiss, Stephanie N; Barila, Guillermo; Brown, Amy G; Connizzo, Brianne K; Shetye, Snehal S; Elovitz, Michal A; Soslowsky, Louis J

2017-06-01

The cervix is a unique organ able to dramatically change its shape and function by serving as a physical barrier for the growing fetus and then undergoing dramatic dilation allowing for delivery of a term infant. As a result, the cervix endures changing mechanical forces from the growing fetus. There is an emerging concept that the cervix may change or remodel "early" in many cases of spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB). However, the mechanical role of the cervix in both normal and preterm birth remains unclear. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to determine the mechanical and structural responses of murine cervical tissue throughout a normal gestational time course. In this study, both tissue structural and material properties were determined via a quasi-static tensile load-to-failure test, while simultaneously obtaining dynamic collagen fiber re-alignment via cross-polarization imaging. This study demonstrated that the majority of the mechanical properties evaluated decreased at midgestation and not just at term, while collagen fiber re-alignment occurred earlier in the loading curve for cervices at term. This suggests that although structural changes in the cervix occur throughout gestation, the differences in material properties function in combination with collagen fiber re-alignment as mechanical precursors to regulate term gestation. This work lays a foundation for investigating cervical biomechanics and the role of the cervix in preterm birth.

Hierarchical Chitin Fibers with Aligned Nanofibrillar Architectures: A Nonwoven-Mat Separator for Lithium Metal Batteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Joong-Kwon; Kim, Do Hyeong; Joo, Se Hun; Choi, Byeongwook; Cha, Aming; Kim, Kwang Min; Kwon, Tae-Hyuk; Kwak, Sang Kyu; Kang, Seok Ju; Jin, Jungho

2017-06-27

Here, we introduce regenerated fibers of chitin (Chiber), the second most abundant biopolymer after cellulose, and propose its utility as a nonwoven fiber separator for lithium metal batteries (LMBs) that exhibits an excellent electrolyte-uptaking capability and Li-dendrite-mitigating performance. Chiber is produced by a centrifugal jet-spinning technique, which allows a simple and fast production of Chibers consisting of hierarchically aligned self-assembled chitin nanofibers. Following the scrutinization on the Chiber-Li-ion interaction via computational methods, we demonstrate the potential of Chiber as a nonwoven mat-type separator by monitoring it in Li-O 2 and Na-O 2 cells.

Optical fiber stripper positioning apparatus

Science.gov (United States)

Fyfe, Richard W.; Sanchez, Jr., Amadeo

1990-01-01

An optical fiber positioning apparatus for an optical fiber stripping device is disclosed which is capable of providing precise axial alignment between an optical fiber to be stripped of its outer jacket and the cutting blades of a stripping device. The apparatus includes a first bore having a width approximately equal to the diameter of an unstripped optical fiber and a counter bore axially aligned with the first bore and dimensioned to precisely receive a portion of the stripping device in axial alignment with notched cutting blades within the stripping device to thereby axially align the notched cutting blades of the stripping device with the axis of the optical fiber to permit the notched cutting blades to sever the jacket on the optical fiber without damaging the cladding on the optical fiber. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus further includes a fiber stop which permits determination of the length of jacket to be removed from the optical fiber.

Model and prediction of stress relaxation of polyurethane fiber

Science.gov (United States)

You, Gexin; Wang, Chunyan; Mei, Shuqin; Yang, Bo; Zhou, Xiuwen

2018-03-01

In this study, the effect of small strain (less than 10%) on hydrogen bond (H-bond) and crystallinity of dry-spun polyurethane fiber was investigated with fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and x-ray diffractometer, respectively. The results showed that the H-bond of hard segments hardly broke and its degree of crystallinity scarcely varied below strain of 10%. The fiber stress relaxation behavior at 25 °C under small strain was researched using dynamic mechanical analyzer. The stress relaxation modulus constitutive equation was obtained by transforming the non-linear relationship between stress and time into the linear relationship between stress and strain. The stress relaxation modulus master curve at 25 °C was established in terms of short-term stress relaxation tests at elevated temperatures (35 °C, 45 °C, 65 °C and 75 °C) according to time-temperature superposition principle (TTS) to predict long-term behavior within 353 year.

Statistics of Microstructure, Peak Stress and Interface Damage in Fiber Reinforced Composites

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kushch, Volodymyr I.; Shmegera, Sergii V.; Mishnaevsky, Leon

2009-01-01

This paper addresses an effect of the fiber arrangement and interactions on the peak interface stress statistics in a fiber reinforced composite material (FRC). The method we apply combines the multipole expansion technique with the representative unit cell model of composite bulk, which is able...... to simulate both the uniform and clustered random fiber arrangements. By averaging over a number of numerical tests, the empirical probability functions have been obtained for the nearest neighbor distance and the peak interface stress. It is shown that the considered statistical parameters are rather...... sensitive to the fiber arrangement, particularly cluster formation. An explicit correspondence between them has been established and an analytical formula linking the microstructure and peak stress statistics in FRCs has been suggested. Application of the statistical theory of extreme values to the local...

Electrospun nanofiber reinforcement of dental composites with electromagnetic alignment approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uyar, Tansel; Çökeliler, Dilek; Doğan, Mustafa; Koçum, Ismail Cengiz; Karatay, Okan; Denkbaş, Emir Baki

2016-01-01

Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) is commonly used as a base acrylic denture material with benefits of rapid and easy handling, however, when it is used in prosthetic dentistry, fracturing or cracking problems can be seen due to the relatively low strength issues. Besides, acrylic resin is the still prominent material for denture fabrication due to its handy and low cost features. Numerous proposed fillers that are used to produce PMMA composites, however electrospun polyvinylalcohol (PVA) nanofiber fillers for production of PMMA composite resins are not studied as much as the others. The other focus of the practice is to compare both mechanical properties and efficiency of aligned fibers versus non-aligned PVA nanofibers in PMMA based dental composites. Field-controlled electrospinning system is manufactured and provided good alignment in lab scale as one of contributions. Some novel auxiliary electrodes in controlled structure are augmented to obtain different patterns of alignment with a certain range of fiber diameters. Scanning electron microscopy is used for physical characterization to determine the range of fiber diameters. Non-woven fiber has no unique pattern due to chaotic nature of electrospinning process, but aligned fibers have round pattern or crossed lines. These produced fibers are structured as layer-by-layer form with different features, and these features are used in producing PMMA dental composites with different volume ratios. The maximum flexural strength figure shows that fiber load by weight of 0.25% w/w and above improves in the maximum level. As a result, mechanical properties of PMMA dental composites are improved by using PVA nanofibers as a filler, however the improvement was higher when aligned PVA nanofibers are used. The maximum values were 5.1 MPa (flexural strength), 0.8 GPa (elastic modulus), and 170 kJ/m 3 (toughness) in three-point bending test. In addition to the positive results of aligned and non-aligned nanofibers it was found

Electrospun nanofiber reinforcement of dental composites with electromagnetic alignment approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Uyar, Tansel [Department of Biomedical Engineering, Başkent University Bağlıca Campus, 06530 Ankara (Turkey); Çökeliler, Dilek, E-mail: cokeliler@baskent.edu.tr [Department of Biomedical Engineering, Başkent University Bağlıca Campus, 06530 Ankara (Turkey); Doğan, Mustafa [Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Başkent University, Ankara 06180 (Turkey); Koçum, Ismail Cengiz [Department of Biomedical Engineering, Başkent University Bağlıca Campus, 06530 Ankara (Turkey); Karatay, Okan [Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Başkent University, Ankara 06180 (Turkey); Denkbaş, Emir Baki [Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry Division, Hacettepe University, Ankara (Turkey)

2016-05-01

Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) is commonly used as a base acrylic denture material with benefits of rapid and easy handling, however, when it is used in prosthetic dentistry, fracturing or cracking problems can be seen due to the relatively low strength issues. Besides, acrylic resin is the still prominent material for denture fabrication due to its handy and low cost features. Numerous proposed fillers that are used to produce PMMA composites, however electrospun polyvinylalcohol (PVA) nanofiber fillers for production of PMMA composite resins are not studied as much as the others. The other focus of the practice is to compare both mechanical properties and efficiency of aligned fibers versus non-aligned PVA nanofibers in PMMA based dental composites. Field-controlled electrospinning system is manufactured and provided good alignment in lab scale as one of contributions. Some novel auxiliary electrodes in controlled structure are augmented to obtain different patterns of alignment with a certain range of fiber diameters. Scanning electron microscopy is used for physical characterization to determine the range of fiber diameters. Non-woven fiber has no unique pattern due to chaotic nature of electrospinning process, but aligned fibers have round pattern or crossed lines. These produced fibers are structured as layer-by-layer form with different features, and these features are used in producing PMMA dental composites with different volume ratios. The maximum flexural strength figure shows that fiber load by weight of 0.25% w/w and above improves in the maximum level. As a result, mechanical properties of PMMA dental composites are improved by using PVA nanofibers as a filler, however the improvement was higher when aligned PVA nanofibers are used. The maximum values were 5.1 MPa (flexural strength), 0.8 GPa (elastic modulus), and 170 kJ/m{sup 3} (toughness) in three-point bending test. In addition to the positive results of aligned and non-aligned nanofibers it was

The stress generated by non-Brownian fibers in turbulent channel flow simulations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gillissen, J.J.J.; Boersma, B.J.; Mortensen, P.H.; Andersson, H.I.

2007-01-01

Turbulent fiber suspension channel flow is studied using direct numerical simulation. The effect of the fibers on the fluid mechanics is governed by a stress tensor, involving the distribution of fiber position and orientation. Properties of this function in channel flow are studied by computing the

Mechanical and Electrical Characterization of Novel Carbon Nano Fiber Ultralow Density Foam

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-01

reinforced epoxy with 60 vol percent of aligned carbon (CFRE), aramid (AFRE), or glass (GFRE) fibers . [28-32... Poisson ratio of 0.137.................................................................................................................54 xiv...were employed to determine relaxation modulus, stability over time, Poisson ratio , stress and strain versus resistance, gauge factor, etc. The data

Composite resin reinforced with pre-tensioned fibers: a three-dimensional finite element study on stress distribution.

Science.gov (United States)

Jie, Lin; Shinya, Akikazu; Lassila, Lippo V J; Vallittu, Pekka K

2013-01-01

Pre-tensioned construction material is utilized in engineering applications of high strength demands. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the pre-tensioning fibers of fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) using three-dimensional finite element (FE) analysis. The 3D FE models of particulate composite resin (CR), FRC and composite resin reinforced with pre-tensioned fibers (PRE-T-FRC) were constructed. The uniaxial three-point bending test was simulated using FE analysis to calculate the principal stress distribution. In the FRC and PRE-T-FRC, stresses were higher than CR, and they were located in the fiber. However, the maximum principal stress value at the composite of PRE-T-FRC was lower than the FRC and CR. Composite resin reinforced with pre-tensioned fibers was advantageous for stress distribution and lowering the stress at the composite itself. Experimental studies on physical properties of pre-tensioned FRC are encouraged to be conducted.

Electrostatically Induced Carbon Nanotube Alignment for Polymer Composite Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Chapkin, Wesley Aaron

finding matches an electrostatic potential energy model for CNT rotation. Lastly, we investigate the effects of conductive carbon fibers on electrostatically induced alignment of CNTs within carbon fiber composites. The relative electric field strength throughout the composite is modeled using COMSOL Multiphysics. We show the ability to generate enhanced electric field gradients within the gaps between carbon fibers for various fiber orientations. Using polarized Raman spectroscopy, increased levels of CNT alignment are observed between carbon fiber tows, which is consistent with the modeled higher electric field strengths in these regions. These findings could potentially lead to the development of carbon fiber composites with CNT additions that selectively enhance the composite properties outside the carbon fiber interphase in the neat epoxy.

Cotton proteomics for deciphering the mechanism of environment stress response and fiber development.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Meiliang; Sun, Guoqing; Sun, Zhanmin; Tang, Yixiong; Wu, Yanmin

2014-06-13

Cotton fiber is considered as the backbone of the textile industry. The productivity of cotton crop is severely hampered by the occurrence of pathogens, pests, and various environmental factors. Nevertheless, cotton plant has developed sophisticated mechanisms to respond to environment stresses to avoid detrimental effects on its growth and development. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of cotton fiber development and environment stress response is of considerable interest for designing agriculture breeding strategies to ensure sustainable productivity. The application of proteomics technologies to advance our knowledge in cotton fiber development and abiotic/biotic stress tolerance has increased dramatically in the last 5years as evidenced by the large amount of publications in this area. This review summarizes the work which has been reported for cotton proteomics and evaluates the findings in context of the approaches that are widely employed with the aim to generate novel insight useful for cotton improvement. Cotton (Gossypium spp.) is considered as the foremost commercially important fiber crop grown all over the world and is deemed as the backbone of the textile industry. Cotton is also an important source of edible oil seed and a nutrient-rich food crop as cottonseed contains high-quality protein and oil. The growth and productivity of cotton crop are often hampered by various biotic stress factors, such as insect pests and pathogens. In addition, cotton plants are frequently subjected to unavoidable environmental factors that cause abiotic stress, such as salt, heat and drought. Proteomic techniques provide one of the best options for understanding the gene function and phenotypic changes during cotton fiber development and stress response. This review first summarizes the work which has been reported for cotton proteomics about cotton fiber development and abiotic/biotic stress tolerance, and also evaluates the findings in context of the approaches

Regionally variant collagen alignment correlates with viscoelastic properties of the disc of the human temporomandibular joint.

Science.gov (United States)

Gutman, Shawn; Kim, Daniel; Tarafder, Solaiman; Velez, Sergio; Jeong, Julia; Lee, Chang H

2018-02-01

To determine the regionally variant quality of collagen alignment in human TMJ discs and its statistical correlation with viscoelastic properties. For quantitative analysis of the quality of collagen alignment, horizontal sections of human TMJ discs with Pricrosirius Red staining were imaged under circularly polarized microscopy. Mean angle and angular deviation of collagen fibers in each region were analyzed using a well-established automated image-processing for angular gradient. Instantaneous and relaxation moduli of each disc region were measured under stress-relaxation test both in tensile and compression. Then Spearman correlation analysis was performed between the angular deviation and the moduli. To understand the effect of glycosaminoglycans on the correlation, TMJ disc samples were treated by chondroitinase ABC (C-ABC). Our imaging processing analysis showed the region-variant direction of collagen alignment, consistently with previous findings. Interestingly, the quality of collagen alignment, not only the directions, was significantly different in between the regions. The angular deviation of fiber alignment in the anterior and intermediate regions were significantly smaller than the posterior region. Medial and lateral regions showed significantly bigger angular deviation than all the other regions. The regionally variant angular deviation values showed statistically significant correlation with the tensile instantaneous modulus and the relaxation modulus, partially dependent on C-ABC treatment. Our findings suggest the region-variant degree of collagen fiber alignment is likely attributed to the heterogeneous viscoelastic properties of TMJ disc that may have significant implications in development of regenerative therapy for TMJ disc. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Deformation, Stress Relaxation, and Crystallization of Lithium Silicate Glass Fibers Below the Glass Transition Temperature

Science.gov (United States)

Ray, Chandra S.; Brow, Richard K.; Kim, Cheol W.; Reis, Signo T.

2004-01-01

The deformation and crystallization of Li(sub 2)O (center dot) 2SiO2 and Li(sub 2)O (center dot) 1.6SiO2 glass fibers subjected to a bending stress were measured as a function of time over the temperature range -50 to -150 C below the glass transition temperature (Tg). The glass fibers can be permanently deformed at temperatures about 100 C below T (sub)g, and they crystallize significantly at temperatures close to, but below T,, about 150 C lower than the onset temperature for crystallization for these glasses in the no-stress condition. The crystallization was found to occur only on the surface of the glass fibers with no detectable difference in the extent of crystallization in tensile and compressive stress regions. The relaxation mechanism for fiber deformation can be best described by a stretched exponential (Kohlrausch-Williams-Watt (KWW) approximation), rather than a single exponential model.The activation energy for stress relaxation, Es, for the glass fibers ranges between 175 and 195 kJ/mol, which is considerably smaller than the activation energy for viscous flow, E, (about 400 kJ/mol) near T, for these glasses at normal, stress-free condition. It is suspected that a viscosity relaxation mechanism could be responsible for permanent deformation and crystallization of the glass fibers below T,

Residual stress effects on the impact resistance and strength of fiber composites

Science.gov (United States)

Chamis, C. C.

1973-01-01

Equations have been derived to predict degradation effects of microresidual stresses on impact resistance of unidirectional fiber composites. Equations also predict lamination residual stresses in multilayered angle ply composites.

Fabrication of uniaxially aligned 3D electrospun scaffolds for neural regeneration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Subramanian, Anuradha; Krishnan, Uma Maheswari; Sethuraman, Swaminathan, E-mail: swami@sastra.edu [Center for Nanotechnology and Advanced Biomaterials, SASTRA University, Thanjavur 613 401, Tamil Nadu (India)

2011-04-15

Nanofibrous scaffolds are very promising physical guidance substrates for regenerating nerves to traverse larger nerve gaps. In this study, we have attempted to develop 2D random and 3D longitudinally oriented nanofibers of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) by the modified electrospinning process and characterized the surface morphology, mechanical properties, porosity, degradation and wettability. The orientation of aligned fibers was optimized by varying the speed of the rotating mandrel in the electrospinning process. The mean diameter of random PLGA nanofibers was 197 {+-} 72 nm, whereas that of the aligned PLGA fiber was 187 {+-} 121 nm. The pore size of aligned PLGA nanofibers (3.5 {+-} 1.1 {mu}m) was significantly lower than their respective random nanofibers (8.0 {+-} 2.0 {mu}m) (p < 0.05). However, the percentage porosity of both scaffolds was comparable (p > 0.05). The mass loss percentage and molecular weight loss percentage due to degradation was higher in random PLGA fibers when compared to aligned PLGA after 5 weeks (p < 0.05). The tensile strength and Young's modulus of random PLGA fibers were significantly higher than those of the aligned PLGA nanofibers (p < 0.05). Both random and longitudinally aligned scaffolds were used for the in vitro culture of Schwann cells. Morphology and cell proliferation results demonstrated that the aligned fibers assist the direction of Schwann cells and a better proliferation rate than their random fibers. The results confirmed that aligned nanofibers have better deformability, slow degradation, comparable porosity and orientation cues than random nanofibers. Hence the longitudinally aligned nanofibers may be ideal scaffolds for nerve regeneration.

Neutron stress measurement of W-fiber reinforced Cu composite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishida, M.; Hanabusa, T.; Ikeuchi, Y.; Minakawa, N.

2003-01-01

Stress measurement methods using neutron and X-ray diffraction were examined by comparing the surface stresses with internal stresses in the continuous tungsten-fiber reinforced copper-matrix composite. Surface stresses were measured by X-ray stress measurement with the sin 2 ψ method. Furthermore, the sin 2 ψ method and the most common triaxal measurement method using Hooke's equation were employed for internal stress measurement by neutron diffraction. On the other hand, microstress distributions developed by the difference in the thermal expansion coefficients between these two phases were calculated by FEM. The weighted average strains and stresses were compared with the experimental results. The FEM results agreed with the experimental results qualitatively and confirmed the importance of the triaxial stress analysis in the neutron stress measurement. (Abstract Copyright [2003], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

The Alignment of the Mean Wind and Stress Vectors in the Unstable Surface Layer

Science.gov (United States)

Bernardes, M.; Dias, N. L.

2010-01-01

A significant non-alignment between the mean horizontal wind vector and the stress vector was observed for turbulence measurements both above the water surface of a large lake, and over a land surface (soybean crop). Possible causes for this discrepancy such as flow distortion, averaging times and the procedure used for extracting the turbulent fluctuations (low-pass filtering and filter widths etc.), were dismissed after a detailed analysis. Minimum averaging times always less than 30 min were established by calculating ogives, and error bounds for the turbulent stresses were derived with three different approaches, based on integral time scales (first-crossing and lag-window estimates) and on a bootstrap technique. It was found that the mean absolute value of the angle between the mean wind and stress vectors is highly related to atmospheric stability, with the non-alignment increasing distinctively with increasing instability. Given a coordinate rotation that aligns the mean wind with the x direction, this behaviour can be explained by the growth of the relative error of the u- w component with instability. As a result, under more unstable conditions the u- w and the v- w components become of the same order of magnitude, and the local stress vector gives the impression of being non-aligned with the mean wind vector. The relative error of the v- w component is large enough to make it undistinguishable from zero throughout the range of stabilities. Therefore, the standard assumptions of Monin-Obukhov similarity theory hold: it is fair to assume that the v- w stress component is actually zero, and that the non-alignment is a purely statistical effect. An analysis of the dimensionless budgets of the u- w and the v- w components confirms this interpretation, with both shear and buoyant production of u- w decreasing with increasing instability. In the v- w budget, shear production is zero by definition, while buoyancy displays very low-intensity fluctuations around

Dynamic mechanical analysis and high strain-rate energy absorption characteristics of vertically aligned carbon nanotube reinforced woven fiber-glass composites

Science.gov (United States)

The dynamic mechanical behavior and energy absorption characteristics of nano-enhanced functionally graded composites, consisting of 3 layers of vertically aligned carbon nanotube (VACNT) forests grown on woven fiber-glass (FG) layer and embedded within 10 layers of woven FG, with polyester (PE) and...

Multi-Stress Monitoring System with Fiber-Optic Mandrels and Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors in a Sagnac Loop.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hyunjin; Sampath, Umesh; Song, Minho

2015-07-29

Fiber Bragg grating sensors are placed in a fiber-optic Sagnac loop to combine the grating temperature sensors and the fiber-optic mandrel acoustic emission sensors in single optical circuit. A wavelength-scanning fiber-optic laser is used as a common light source for both sensors. A fiber-optic attenuator is placed at a specific position in the Sagnac loop in order to separate buried Bragg wavelengths from the Sagnac interferometer output. The Bragg wavelength shifts are measured with scanning band-pass filter demodulation and the mandrel output is analyzed by applying a fast Fourier transform to the interference signal. This hybrid-scheme could greatly reduce the size and the complexity of optical circuitry and signal processing unit, making it suitable for low cost multi-stress monitoring of large scale power systems.

Computational and experimental investigation of local stress fiber orientation in uniaxially and biaxially constrained microtissues

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Obbink - Huizer, C.; Foolen, J.; Oomens, C.W.J.; Borochin, M.A.; Chen, C.S.; Bouten, C.V.C.; Baaijens, F.P.T.

2014-01-01

The orientation of cells and associated F-actin stress fibers is essential for proper tissue functioning. We have previously developed a computational model that qualitatively describes stress fiber orientation in response to a range of mechanical stimuli. In this paper, the aim is to quantitatively

The concept of a novel hybrid smart composite reinforced with radially aligned zigzag carbon nanotubes on piezoelectric fibers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ray, M C

2010-01-01

A new hybrid piezoelectric composite (HPZC) reinforced with zigzag single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and piezoelectric fibers is proposed. The novel constructional feature of this composite is that the uniformly aligned CNTs are radially grown on the surface of piezoelectric fibers. A micromechanics model is derived to estimate the effective piezoelectric and elastic properties. It is found that the effective piezoelectric coefficient e 31 of the proposed HPZC, which accounts for the in-plane actuation, is significantly higher than that of the existing 1-3 piezoelectric composite without reinforcement with carbon nanotubes and the previously reported hybrid piezoelectric composite (Ray and Batra 2009 ASME J. Appl. Mech. 76 034503)

Fiber/collagen composites for ligament tissue engineering: influence of elastic moduli of sparse aligned fibers on mesenchymal stem cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Thayer, Patrick S; Verbridge, Scott S; Dahlgren, Linda A; Kakar, Sanjeev; Guelcher, Scott A; Goldstein, Aaron S

2016-08-01

Electrospun microfibers are attractive for the engineering of oriented tissues because they present instructive topographic and mechanical cues to cells. However, high-density microfiber networks are too cell-impermeable for most tissue applications. Alternatively, the distribution of sparse microfibers within a three-dimensional hydrogel could present instructive cues to guide cell organization while not inhibiting cell behavior. In this study, thin (∼5 fibers thick) layers of aligned microfibers (0.7 μm) were embedded within collagen hydrogels containing mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), cultured for up to 14 days, and assayed for expression of ligament markers and imaged for cell organization. These microfibers were generated through the electrospinning of polycaprolactone (PCL), poly(ester-urethane) (PEUR), or a 75/25 PEUR/PCL blend to produce microfiber networks with elastic moduli of 31, 15, and 5.6 MPa, respectively. MSCs in composites containing 5.6 MPa fibers exhibited increased expression of the ligament marker scleraxis and the contractile phenotype marker α-smooth muscle actin versus the stiffer fiber composites. Additionally, cells within the 5.6 MPa microfiber composites were more oriented compared to cells within the 15 and 31 MPa microfiber composites. Together, these data indicate that the mechanical properties of microfiber/collagen composites can be tuned for the engineering of ligament and other target tissues. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 104A: 1894-1901, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Stress induced birefringence in hybrid TIR/PBG guiding solid photonic crystal fibers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lyngsøe, Jens Kristian; Mangan, Brian Joseph; Olausson, Christina Bjarnal Thulin

2010-01-01

We report on two types of polarization maintaining solid photonic crystal fibers that guide light by a combination of a photonic bandgap and total internal reflection. Group and phase birefringence are studied experimentally and numerically for stress-applying parts made from B-doped and F......-doped silica. The stress field originating from Ge-doped cladding rods is shown to interfere with the stress field from the B-doped and F-doped rods. Since the differential expansion coefficients of B-doped and F-doped silica have opposite signs this interference is either destructive or constructive....... Consequently, we found that the fiber with F-doped stress applying parts has the highest modal phase birefringence, and polarization cross talk is characterized by an h-parameter below 3⋅10−5 m−1....

Improving Fiber Alignment in HARDI by Combining Contextual PDE Flow with Constrained Spherical Deconvolution.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J M Portegies

Full Text Available We propose two strategies to improve the quality of tractography results computed from diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI data. Both methods are based on the same PDE framework, defined in the coupled space of positions and orientations, associated with a stochastic process describing the enhancement of elongated structures while preserving crossing structures. In the first method we use the enhancement PDE for contextual regularization of a fiber orientation distribution (FOD that is obtained on individual voxels from high angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI data via constrained spherical deconvolution (CSD. Thereby we improve the FOD as input for subsequent tractography. Secondly, we introduce the fiber to bundle coherence (FBC, a measure for quantification of fiber alignment. The FBC is computed from a tractography result using the same PDE framework and provides a criterion for removing the spurious fibers. We validate the proposed combination of CSD and enhancement on phantom data and on human data, acquired with different scanning protocols. On the phantom data we find that PDE enhancements improve both local metrics and global metrics of tractography results, compared to CSD without enhancements. On the human data we show that the enhancements allow for a better reconstruction of crossing fiber bundles and they reduce the variability of the tractography output with respect to the acquisition parameters. Finally, we show that both the enhancement of the FODs and the use of the FBC measure on the tractography improve the stability with respect to different stochastic realizations of probabilistic tractography. This is shown in a clinical application: the reconstruction of the optic radiation for epilepsy surgery planning.

An in situ Raman spectroscopy study of stress transfer between carbon nanotubes and polymer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mu Minfang; Winey, Karen I; Osswald, Sebastian; Gogotsi, Yury

2009-01-01

The transfer mechanism of applied stress in single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nanocomposites was investigated using in situ Raman spectroscopy on composite fibers. These SWCNT/PMMA nanocomposite fibers have no specific SWCNT-polymer interactions and the high degree of nanotube alignment minimizes the contributions from nanotube-nanotube interactions. Although tensile testing found significantly improved overall mechanical properties of the fibers, effective stress transfer to SWCNTs is limited to a small strain regime (ε<0.2%). At higher strains, the stress on the SWCNTs decreases due to the slippage at the nanotube-polymer interface. Slippage was also evident in scanning electron micrographs of fracture surfaces produced by tensile testing of the composite fibers. Above ε = 0.2%, the strain-induced slippage was accompanied by irreversible responses in stress and Raman peak shifts. This paper shows that efficient stress transfer to nanotubes as monitored by Raman spectroscopy is crucial to improving the mechanical properties of polymer nanocomposites and to detecting internal damage in nanocomposites.

Dissecting Regional Variations in Stress Fiber Mechanics in Living Cells with Laser Nanosurgery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tanner, Kandice; Boudreau, Aaron; Bissell, Mina J; Kumar, Sanjay

2010-03-02

The ability of a cell to distribute contractile stresses across the extracellular matrix in a spatially heterogeneous fashion underlies many cellular behaviors, including motility and tissue assembly. Here we investigate the biophysical basis of this phenomenon by using femtosecond laser nanosurgery to measure the viscoelastic recoil and cell-shape contributions of contractile stress fibers (SFs) located in specific compartments of living cells. Upon photodisruption and recoil, myosin light chain kinase-dependent SFs located along the cell periphery display much lower effective elasticities and higher plateau retraction distances than Rho-associated kinase-dependent SFs located in the cell center, with severing of peripheral fibers uniquely triggering a dramatic contraction of the entire cell within minutes of fiber irradiation. Image correlation spectroscopy reveals that when one population of SFs is pharmacologically dissipated, actin density flows toward the other population. Furthermore, dissipation of peripheral fibers reduces the elasticity and increases the plateau retraction distance of central fibers, and severing central fibers under these conditions triggers cellular contraction. Together, these findings show that SFs regulated by different myosin activators exhibit different mechanical properties and cell shape contributions. They also suggest that some fibers can absorb components and assume mechanical roles of other fibers to stabilize cell shape.

The behavior of Kevlar fibers under environmental-stress conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Perry, Mark Charles

There are a myriad of mechanisms by which polymers can degrade and fail. It is therefore important to understand the physical mechanics, chemistry, their interactions, and kinetics. This pursuit becomes more than just "academic" because these mechanisms might just change with service conditions (i.e. environment and loading). If one does not understand these processes from the molecular to macroscopic scale it would be exceedingly difficult to gain information from accelerated testing because the mechanisms just might change from one condition to another. The purpose of this study was to probe these processes on scales ranging from molecular to macroscopic in environmental stress conditions. This study reports the results of environmental-stress degradation of Kevlar 49 fibers. The environmental agent of focus was the ubiquitous air pollutant complex NOsb{x}. Other materials and environments were investigated to a lesser extent for purposes of comparison. Mechanical property (i.e., short-term strength, modulus, and creep lifetime) degradation was examined using single fiber, yarn, and epoxy coated yarn (composite) specimens under environmental-stress conditions. Optical and scanning electron microscopes were employed to examine and compare the appearance of fracture features resulting from the various testing conditions. Atomic force microscopy augmented these studies with detailed topographical mappings and measures of the fracture surface frictional and modulus properties. Molecular processes (i.e., chain scission and other mechanical-chemical reactions) were probed by measures of changes in viscosity average molecular weight and the infrared spectra. It was demonstrated that environmental-stress degradation effects do occur in the Kevlar-NOsb{x} gas system. Strength decay in environmentally exposed unloaded fibers was demonstrated and a synergistic response in creep reduced fiber lifetimes by three orders of magnitude at moderate loadings. That is to say, the

A three-dimensional collagen-fiber network model of the extracellular matrix for the simulation of the mechanical behaviors and micro structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Shoubin; Huang, Zetao; Tang, Liqun; Zhang, Xiaoyang; Zhang, Yongrou; Jiang, Yi

2017-07-01

The extracellular matrix (ECM) provides structural and biochemical support to cells and tissues, which is a critical factor for modulating cell dynamic behavior and intercellular communication. In order to further understand the mechanisms of the interactive relationship between cell and the ECM, we developed a three-dimensional (3D) collagen-fiber network model to simulate the micro structure and mechanical behaviors of the ECM and studied the stress-strain relationship as well as the deformation of the ECM under tension. In the model, the collagen-fiber network consists of abundant random distributed collagen fibers and some crosslinks, in which each fiber is modeled as an elastic beam and a crosslink is modeled as a linear spring with tensile limit, it means crosslinks will fail while the tensile forces exceed the limit of spring. With the given parameters of the beam and the spring, the simulated tensile stress-strain relation of the ECM highly matches the experimental results including damaged and failed behaviors. Moreover, by applying the maximal inscribed sphere method, we measured the size distribution of pores in the fiber network and learned the variation of the distribution with deformation. We also defined the alignment of the collagen-fibers to depict the orientation of fibers in the ECM quantitatively. By the study of changes of the alignment and the damaged crosslinks against the tensile strain, this paper reveals the comprehensive mechanisms of four stages of 'toe', 'linear', 'damage' and 'failure' in the tensile stress-strain relation of the ECM which can provide further insight in the study of cell-ECM interaction.

Oriented collagen fibers direct tumor cell intravasation

KAUST Repository

Han, Weijing; Chen, Shaohua; Yuan, Wei; Fan, Qihui; Tian, Jianxiang; Wang, Xiaochen; Chen, Longqing; Zhang, Xixiang; Wei, Weili; Liu, Ruchuan; Qu, Junle; Jiao, Yang; Austin, Robert H.; Liu, Liyu

2016-01-01

that the local fiber alignment enhanced cell-ECM interactions. Specifically, metastatic MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells followed the local fiber alignment direction during the intravasation into rigid Matrigel (∼10 mg/mL protein concentration).

Fiber optics welder

Science.gov (United States)

Higgins, R.W.; Robichaud, R.E.

A system is described for welding fiber optic waveguides together. The ends of the two fibers to be joined together are accurately, collinearly aligned in a vertical orientation and subjected to a controlled, diffuse arc to effect welding and thermal conditioning. A front-surfaced mirror mounted at a 45/sup 0/ angle to the optical axis of a stereomicroscope mounted for viewing the junction of the ends provides two orthogonal views of the interface during the alignment operation.

Thermal Stress-Induced Depolarization Loss in Conventional and Panda-Shaped Photonic Crystal Fiber Lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Mousavi, Seyedeh Laleh; Sabaeian, Mohammad

2016-10-01

We report on the modeling of the depolarization loss in the conventional and panda-shaped photonic crystal fiber lasers (PCFLs) due to the self-heating of the fiber, which we call it thermal stress-induced depolarization loss (TSIDL). We first calculated the temperature distribution over the fiber cross sections and then calculated the thermal stresses/strains as a function of heat load per meter. Thermal stress-induced birefringence (TSIB), which is defined as | n x - n y |, in the core and cladding regions was calculated. Finally, TSIDL was calculated for the conventional and panda-shaped PCFLs as a function of fiber length and, respectively, saturated values of 22 and 25 % were obtained which were independent of heat load per meter. For panda-shaped PCFLs, prior to being saturated, an oscillating and damping behavior against the fiber length was seen where in some lengths reached 35 %. The results are close to an experimental value of 30 % reported for a pulsed PCFL (Limpert et al., Opt Express 12:1313-1319, 2004) where the authors reported a degree of polarization of 70 % (i.e., a depolarization of 30 %). The most important result of this work is a saturation behavior of TSIDL at long-enough lengths of the fiber laser which is independent of heat load per meter. To our knowledge, this the first report of TSIBL for PCFLs.

Changes in collection efficiency in nylon net filter media through magnetic alignment of elongated aerosol particles.

Science.gov (United States)

Lam, Christopher O; Finlay, W H

2009-10-01

Fiber aerosols tend to align parallel to surrounding fluid streamlines in shear flows, making their filtration more difficult. However, previous research indicates that composite particles made from cromoglycic acid fibers coated with small nanoscaled magnetite particles can align with an applied magnetic field. The present research explored the effect of magnetically aligning these fibers to increase their filtration. Nylon net filters were challenged with the aerosol fibers, and efficiency tests were performed with and without a magnetic field applied perpendicular to the flow direction. We investigated the effects of varying face velocities, the amount of magnetite material on the aerosol particles, and magnetic field strengths. Findings from the experiments, matched by supporting single-fiber theories, showed significant efficiency increases at the low face velocity of 1.5 cm s(-1) at all magnetite compositions, with efficiencies more than doubling due to magnetic field alignment in certain cases. At a higher face velocity of 5.12 cm s(-1), filtration efficiencies were less affected by the magnetic field alignment being, at most, 43% higher for magnetite weight compositions up to 30%, while at a face velocity of 10.23 cm s(-1) alignment effects were insignificant. In most cases, efficiencies became independent of magnetic field strength above 50 mT, suggesting full alignment of the fibers. The present data suggest that fiber alignment in a magnetic field may warrant applications in the filtration and detection of fibers, such as asbestos.

Standard test method for verifying the alignment of X-Ray diffraction instrumentation for residual stress measurement

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

2010-01-01

1.1 This test method covers the preparation and use of a flat stress-free test specimen for the purpose of checking the systematic error caused by instrument misalignment or sample positioning in X-ray diffraction residual stress measurement, or both. 1.2 This test method is applicable to apparatus intended for X-ray diffraction macroscopic residual stress measurement in polycrystalline samples employing measurement of a diffraction peak position in the high-back reflection region, and in which the θ, 2θ, and ψ rotation axes can be made to coincide (see Fig. 1). 1.3 This test method describes the use of iron powder which has been investigated in round-robin studies for the purpose of verifying the alignment of instrumentation intended for stress measurement in ferritic or martensitic steels. To verify instrument alignment prior to stress measurement in other metallic alloys and ceramics, powder having the same or lower diffraction angle as the material to be measured should be prepared in similar fashion...

Thermal stress control using waste steel fibers in massive concretes

Science.gov (United States)

Sarabi, Sahar; Bakhshi, Hossein; Sarkardeh, Hamed; Nikoo, Hamed Safaye

2017-11-01

One of the important subjects in massive concrete structures is the control of the generated heat of hydration and consequently the potential of cracking due to the thermal stress expansion. In the present study, using the waste turnery steel fibers in the massive concretes, the amount of used cement was reduced without changing the compressive strength. By substituting a part of the cement with waste steel fibers, the costs and the generated hydration heat were reduced and the tensile strength was increased. The results showed that by using 0.5% turnery waste steel fibers and consequently, reducing to 32% the cement content, the hydration heat reduced to 23.4% without changing the compressive strength. Moreover, the maximum heat gradient reduced from 18.5% in the plain concrete sample to 12% in the fiber-reinforced concrete sample.

Combined-load stress-strain relationship for advanced fiber composites

Science.gov (United States)

Chamis, C. C.; Sullivan, T. L.

1975-01-01

It was demonstrated experimentally that only one test specimen is required to determine the combined-load stress-strain relationships of a given fiber composite system. These relationships were determined using a thin angle-plied laminate tube and subjecting it to a number of combined-loading conditions. The measured data obtained are compared with theoretical predictions. Some important considerations associated with such a test are identified, and the significance of combined-load stress-strain relationships in certain practical designs are discussed.

Development of fiber-delivered laser peening system to prevent stress corrosion cracking of reactor components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sano, Y.; Kimura, M.; Yoda, M.; Mukai, N.; Sato, K.; Uehara, T.; Ito, T.; Shimamura, M.; Sudo, A.; Suezono, N.

2001-01-01

The authors have developed a system to deliver water-penetrable intense laser pulses of frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser through optical fiber. The system is capable of improving a residual stress on water immersed metal material remotely, which is effective to prevent the initiation of stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of reactor components. Experimental results showed that a compressive residual stress with enough amplitude and depth was built in the surface layer of type 304 stainless steel (SUS304) by irradiating laser pulses through optical fiber with diameter of 1 mm. A prototype peening head with miniaturized dimensions of 88 mm x 46 mm x 25 mm was assembled to con-firm the accessibility to the heat affected zone (HAZ) along weld lines of a reactor core shroud. The accessibility was significantly improved owing to the flexible optical fiber and the miniaturized peening head. The fiber delivered system opens up the possibility of new applications of laser peening. (author)

Stress corrosion in silica optical fibers: Review of fatigue testing procedures

Science.gov (United States)

Severin, Irina; Borda, Claudia; Dumitrache-Rujinski, Alexandru; Caramihai, Mihai; Abdi, Rochdi El

2018-02-01

The expected lifetime of optical fibers used either in telecommunication technologies or smart applications are closely related to the chemical reaction on the silica network. Due to the manufacturing processes or the handling procedures, the flaws spread on the fiber surface are inherently present. The aging mechanism is assumed to enlarge or to extend these flaws. Based on systematic experiments one may notice that water may induce a certain curing effect. Silica optical fibers have been aged in water; series of samples have been subjected to overlapped stretching or bending. Other series have been subjected to overlapped aging effect of microwaves and hot water. Finally, samples were submitted to dynamic tensile testing. The Weibull's diagram analysis shows mono or bimodal dispersions of flaws on the fiber surface, but the polymer coating appears vital for fiber lifetime. While humidity usually affects the fiber strength, the series of testing has revealed that in controlled conditions of chemical environment and controlled applied stress, fiber strength may be increased. A similar effect may be obtained by external factors such as microwaves or previous elongation, too.

NUMERICAL ESTIMATION OF EFFECTIVE ELASTIC MODULI OF SYNTACTIC FOAMS REINFORCED BY SHORT GLASS FIBERS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Yu

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The mechanical properties of hollow glass microsphere/epoxy resin syntactic foams reinforced by short glass fibers are studied using representative volume elements. Both the glass fibers and the hollow glass microspheres exhibit random arrangement in the epoxy resin. The volume fraction and wall thickness of hollow glass microspheres and the volume fraction of glass fibers are considered as parameters. It is observed that the elastic modulus values of syntactic foams decrease with the increase of microsphere volume fraction when the microsphere relative wall thickness is lower. However, it increases with the increase of microsphere volume fraction when the relative wall thickness exceeds a critical value. The elastic modulus value goes through a maximum when the relative wall thickness is around 0.06 at 25 % volume fraction of microspheres. The addition of glass fibers reduces the critical wall thickness values of the microspheres and increases the mechanical properties of the composites. The highest stress lies on the equatorial plane perpendicular to the loading direction. Adding fibers reduces the large stress distribution areas on the microspheres, and the fibers aligned with the loading direction play an important load-bearing role.

Smart carbon nanotube/fiber and PVA fiber-reinforced composites for stress sensing and chloride ion detection

Science.gov (United States)

Hoheneder, Joshua

Fiber reinforced composites (FRC) with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers and carbon nanofibers (CNF) had an excellent flexural strength in excess of 18.5 MPa compared to reference samples of 15.8 MPa. It was found that the developed, depending on applied stress and exposure to chloride solutions, composites exhibit some electrical conductivity, from 4.20×10 -4 (Ω-1m-1 to 4.13×10 -4 Ω-1m-1. These dependences can be characterized by piezioresistive and chemoresistive coefficients demonstrating that the material possesses self-sensing capabilities. The sensitivity to stain and chloride solutions can be enhanced by incorporating small amounts of carbon nanofibers (CNF) or carbon nanotube (CNT) into composite structure. Conducted research has demonstrated a strong dependency of electrical properties of composite on crack formation in moist environments. The developed procedure is scalable for industrial application in concrete structures that require nondestructive stress monitoring, integrity under high service loads and stability in harsh environments.

Time-Dependent Stress Rupture Strength Degradation of Hi-Nicalon Fiber-Reinforced Silicon Carbide Composites at Intermediate Temperatures

Science.gov (United States)

Sullivan, Roy M.

2016-01-01

The stress rupture strength of silicon carbide fiber-reinforced silicon carbide composites with a boron nitride fiber coating decreases with time within the intermediate temperature range of 700 to 950 degree Celsius. Various theories have been proposed to explain the cause of the time-dependent stress rupture strength. The objective of this paper is to investigate the relative significance of the various theories for the time-dependent strength of silicon carbide fiber-reinforced silicon carbide composites. This is achieved through the development of a numerically based progressive failure analysis routine and through the application of the routine to simulate the composite stress rupture tests. The progressive failure routine is a time-marching routine with an iterative loop between a probability of fiber survival equation and a force equilibrium equation within each time step. Failure of the composite is assumed to initiate near a matrix crack and the progression of fiber failures occurs by global load sharing. The probability of survival equation is derived from consideration of the strength of ceramic fibers with randomly occurring and slow growing flaws as well as the mechanical interaction between the fibers and matrix near a matrix crack. The force equilibrium equation follows from the global load sharing presumption. The results of progressive failure analyses of the composite tests suggest that the relationship between time and stress-rupture strength is attributed almost entirely to the slow flaw growth within the fibers. Although other mechanisms may be present, they appear to have only a minor influence on the observed time-dependent behavior.

Viability of oxide fiber coatings in ceramic composites for accommodation of misfit stresses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kerans, R.J.

1996-01-01

The C and BN fiber coatings used in most ceramic composites perform a less obvious but equally essential function, in addition to crack deflection; they accommodate misfit stresses due to interfacial fracture surface roughness. Coatings substituted for them must also perform that function to be effective. However, in general, oxides are much less compliant materials than C and BN, which raises the question of the feasibility of oxide substitutes. The viability of oxide coatings for accommodating misfit stresses in Nicalon fiber/SiC composites was investigated by calculating the maximum misfit stresses as functions of coating properties and geometries. Control of interfacial fracture path was also briefly considered. The implications regarding composite properties were examined by calculating properties for composites with mechanically viable oxide coatings

Oriented collagen fibers direct tumor cell intravasation

KAUST Repository

Han, Weijing

2016-09-24

In this work, we constructed a Collagen I-Matrigel composite extracellular matrix (ECM). The composite ECM was used to determine the influence of the local collagen fiber orientation on the collective intravasation ability of tumor cells. We found that the local fiber alignment enhanced cell-ECM interactions. Specifically, metastatic MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells followed the local fiber alignment direction during the intravasation into rigid Matrigel (∼10 mg/mL protein concentration).

Effect of fiber distribution and realignment on the nonlinear and inhomogeneous mechanical properties of human supraspinatus tendon under longitudinal tensile loading.

Science.gov (United States)

Lake, Spencer P; Miller, Kristin S; Elliott, Dawn M; Soslowsky, Louis J

2009-12-01

Tendon exhibits nonlinear stress-strain behavior that may be partly due to movement of collagen fibers through the extracellular matrix. While a few techniques have been developed to evaluate the fiber architecture of other soft tissues, the organizational behavior of tendon under load has not been determined. The supraspinatus tendon (SST) of the rotator cuff is of particular interest for investigation due to its complex mechanical environment and corresponding inhomogeneity. In addition, SST injury occurs frequently with limited success in treatment strategies, illustrating the need for a better understanding of SST properties. Therefore, the objective of this study was to quantitatively evaluate the inhomogeneous tensile mechanical properties, fiber organization, and fiber realignment under load of human SST utilizing a novel polarized light technique. Fiber distributions were found to become more aligned under load, particularly during the low stiffness toe-region, suggesting that fiber realignment may be partly responsible for observed nonlinear behavior. Fiber alignment was found to correlate significantly with mechanical parameters, providing evidence for strong structure-function relationships in tendon. Human SST exhibits complex, inhomogeneous mechanical properties and fiber distributions, perhaps due to its complex loading environment. Surprisingly, histological grade of degeneration did not correlate with mechanical properties.

A Large-scale Finite Element Model on Micromechanical Damage and Failure of Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Composites Including Thermal Residual Stress

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, P. F.; Li, X. K.

2018-06-01

The purpose of this paper is to study micromechanical progressive failure properties of carbon fiber/epoxy composites with thermal residual stress by finite element analysis (FEA). Composite microstructures with hexagonal fiber distribution are used for the representative volume element (RVE), where an initial fiber breakage is assumed. Fiber breakage with random fiber strength is predicted using Monte Carlo simulation, progressive matrix damage is predicted by proposing a continuum damage mechanics model and interface failure is simulated using Xu and Needleman's cohesive model. Temperature dependent thermal expansion coefficients for epoxy matrix are used. FEA by developing numerical codes using ANSYS finite element software is divided into two steps: 1. Thermal residual stresses due to mismatch between fiber and matrix are calculated; 2. Longitudinal tensile load is further exerted on the RVE to perform progressive failure analysis of carbon fiber/epoxy composites. Numerical convergence is solved by introducing the viscous damping effect properly. The extended Mori-Tanaka method that considers interface debonding is used to get homogenized mechanical responses of composites. Three main results by FEA are obtained: 1. the real-time matrix cracking, fiber breakage and interface debonding with increasing tensile strain is simulated. 2. the stress concentration coefficients on neighbouring fibers near the initial broken fiber and the axial fiber stress distribution along the broken fiber are predicted, compared with the results using the global and local load-sharing models based on the shear-lag theory. 3. the tensile strength of composite by FEA is compared with those by the shear-lag theory and experiments. Finally, the tensile stress-strain curve of composites by FEA is applied to the progressive failure analysis of composite pressure vessel.

Robust precision alignment algorithm for micro tube laser forming

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Folkersma, Ger; Brouwer, Dannis Michel; Römer, Gerardus Richardus, Bernardus, Engelina; Herder, Justus Laurens

2016-01-01

Tube laser forming on a small diameter tube can be used as a high precision actuator to permanently align small (optical)components. Applications, such as the alignment of optical fibers to photonic integrated circuits, often require sub-micron alignment accuracy. Although the process causes

Interplay between Solo and keratin filaments is crucial for mechanical force–induced stress fiber reinforcement

Science.gov (United States)

Fujiwara, Sachiko; Ohashi, Kazumasa; Mashiko, Toshiya; Kondo, Hiroshi; Mizuno, Kensaku

2016-01-01

Mechanical force–induced cytoskeletal reorganization is essential for cell and tissue remodeling and homeostasis; however, the underlying cellular mechanisms remain elusive. Solo (ARHGEF40) is a RhoA-targeting guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) involved in cyclical stretch–induced human endothelial cell reorientation and convergent extension cell movement in zebrafish gastrula. In this study, we show that Solo binds to keratin-8/keratin-18 (K8/K18) intermediate filaments through multiple sites. Solo overexpression promotes the formation of thick actin stress fibers and keratin bundles, whereas knockdown of Solo, expression of a GEF-inactive mutant of Solo, or inhibition of ROCK suppresses stress fiber formation and leads to disorganized keratin networks, indicating that the Solo-RhoA-ROCK pathway serves to precisely organize keratin networks, as well as to promote stress fibers. Of importance, knockdown of Solo or K18 or overexpression of GEF-inactive or deletion mutants of Solo suppresses tensile force–induced stress fiber reinforcement. Furthermore, knockdown of Solo or K18 suppresses tensile force-induced RhoA activation. These results strongly suggest that the interplay between Solo and K8/K18 filaments plays a crucial role in tensile force–induced RhoA activation and consequent actin cytoskeletal reinforcement. PMID:26823019

Stress-temperature-lifetime response of nicalon fiber-reinforced SiC composites in air

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Hua-Tay; Becher, P.F.

1996-01-01

Time-to-failure tests were conducted in four-point flexure and in air as a function of stress levels and temperatures to study the lifetime response of various Nicalon fiber-reinforced SiC (designated as Nic/SiC) composites with a graphitic interfacial coating. The results indicated that all of the Nic/SiC composites exhibit a similar stress-dependent failure at applied stress greater than a threshold value. In this case, the lifetimes of the composites increased with decrease in both stress level and test temperature. The lifetime of the composites appeared to be relatively insensitive to the thickness of graphitic interface layer and was enhanced somewhat by the addition of oxidation inhibitors. Electron microscopy and oxidation studies indicated that the life of the Nic/SiC composites was governed by the oxidation of the graphitic interfaces and the on of glass(es) in composites due to the oxidation of the fiber and matrix, inhibitor phases

Angiogenin enhances cell migration by regulating stress fiber assembly and focal adhesion dynamics.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saisai Wei

Full Text Available Angiogenin (ANG acts on both vascular endothelial cells and cancer cells, but the underlying mechanism remains elusive. In this study, we carried out a co-immunoprecipitation assay in HeLa cells and identified 14 potential ANG-interacting proteins. Among these proteins, β-actin, α-actinin 4, and non-muscle myosin heavy chain 9 are stress fiber components and involved in cytoskeleton organization and movement, which prompted us to investigate the mechanism of action of ANG in cell migration. Upon confirmation of the interactions between ANG and the three proteins, further studies revealed that ANG co-localized with β-actin and α-actinin 4 at the leading edge of migrating cells. Down-regulation of ANG resulted in fewer but thicker stress fibers with less dynamics, which was associated with the enlargements of focal adhesions. The focal adhesion kinase activity and cell migration capacity were significantly decreased in ANG-deficient cells. Taken together, our data demonstrated that the existence of ANG in the cytoplasm optimizes stress fiber assembly and focal adhesion formation to accommodate cell migration. The finding that ANG promoted cancer cell migration might provide new clues for tumor metastasis research.

Real-time high-resolution measurement of collagen alignment in dynamically loaded soft tissue.

Science.gov (United States)

York, Timothy; Kahan, Lindsey; Lake, Spencer P; Gruev, Viktor

2014-06-01

A technique for creating maps of the direction and strength of fiber alignment in collagenous soft tissues is presented. The method uses a division of focal plane polarimeter to measure circularly polarized light transmitted through the tissue. The architecture of the sensor allows measurement of the retardance and fiber alignment at the full frame rate of the sensor without any moving optics. The technique compares favorably to the standard method of using a rotating polarizer. How the new technique enables real-time capture of the full angular spread of fiber alignment and retardance under various cyclic loading conditions is illustrated.

Effect of Thermal Stresses on the Failure Criteria of Fiber Composites

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Leong, Martin Klitgaard; Sankar, Bhavani V.

2010-01-01

, the latter, called micro-thermal stresses, has not been given much attention. In this paper the Direct Micromechanics Method is used to investigate the effects of micro-thermal stresses on the failure envelope of composites. Using FEA the unit-cell of the composite is analyzed. Assuming the failure criteria...... for the fiber and matrix are known, the exact failure envelope is developed. Using the micromechanics results, the Tsai-Wu failure envelope is modified to account for the micro-thermal stresses. The approach is demonstrated using two example structures at cryogenic temperature....

A Critique of a Phenomenological Fiber Breakage Model for Stress Rupture of Composite Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Reeder, James R.

2010-01-01

Stress rupture is not a critical failure mode for most composite structures, but there are a few applications where it can be critical. One application where stress rupture can be a critical design issue is in Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels (COPV's), where the composite material is highly and uniformly loaded for long periods of time and where very high reliability is required. COPV's are normally required to be proof loaded before being put into service to insure strength, but it is feared that the proof load may cause damage that reduces the stress rupture reliability. Recently, a fiber breakage model was proposed specifically to estimate a reduced reliability due to proof loading. The fiber breakage model attempts to model physics believed to occur at the microscopic scale, but validation of the model has not occurred. In this paper, the fiber breakage model is re-derived while highlighting assumptions that were made during the derivation. Some of the assumptions are examined to assess their effect on the final predicted reliability.

Effect of the Volume Fraction of Jute Fiber on the Interlaminar Shear Stress and Tensile Behavior Characteristics of Hybrid Glass/Jute Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite Bar for Concrete Structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chan-Gi Park

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Hybrid glass/jute fiber reinforced polymer (HGJFRP composite bars were manufactured for concrete structures, and their interlaminar shear stress and tensile performance were evaluated. HGJFRP composite bars were manufactured using a combination of pultrusion and braiding processes. Jute fiber was surface-treated with a silane coupling agent. The mixing ratio of the fiber to the vinyl ester used in the HGJFRP composite bars was 7 : 3. Jute fiber was used to replace glass fiber in proportions of 0, 30, 50, 70, and 100%. The interlaminar shear stress decreased as the proportion of jute fiber increased. Fractures appeared due to delamination between the surface-treated component and the main part of the HGJFRP composite bar. Tensile load-strain curves with 50% jute fiber exhibited linear behavior. With a jute fiber volume fraction of 70%, some plastic deformation occurred. A jute fiber mixing ratio of 100% resulted in a display of linear elastic brittle behavior from the fiber; however, when the surface of the fiber was coated with poly(vinyl acetate, following failure, the jute fiber exhibited partial load resistance. The tensile strength decreased as the jute fiber content increased; however, the tensile strength did not vary linearly with jute fiber content.

Differentiation of molecular chain entanglement structure through laser Raman spectrum measurement of High strength PET fibers under stress

Science.gov (United States)

Go, D.; Takarada, W.; Kikutani, T.

2017-10-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism for the improvement of mechanical properties of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fibers based on the concept of controlling the state of molecular entanglement. For this purpose, five different PET fibers were prepared through either the conventional melt spinning and drawing/annealing process or the high-speed melt spinning process. In both cases, the melt spinning process was designed so as to realize different Deborah number conditions. The prepared fibers were subjected to the laser Raman spectroscopy measurement and the characteristics of the scattering peak at around 1616 cm-1, which corresponds to the C-C/C=C stretching mode of the aromatic ring in the main chain, were investigated in detail. It was revealed that the fibers drawn and annealed after the melt spinning process of lower Deborah number showed higher tensile strength as well as lower value of full width at half maximum (FWHM) in the laser Raman spectrum. Narrow FWHM was considered to represent the homogeneous state of entanglement structure, which may lead to the higher strength and toughness of fibers because individual molecular chains tend to bare similar level of tensile stress when the fiber is stretched. In case of high-speed spun fibers prepared with a high Deborah number condition, the FWHM was narrow presumably because much lower tensile stress in comparison with the drawing/annealing process was applied when the fiber structure was developed, however the value increased significantly upon applying tensile load to the fibers during the laser Raman spectrum measurement. From these results, it was concluded that the Laser Raman spectroscopy could differentiate molecular chain entanglement structure of various fiber samples, in that low FWHM, which corresponds to either homogeneous state of molecular entanglement or lower level of mean residual stress, and small increase of FWTH upon applying tensile stress are considered to be the key

Elastomeric thermal interface materials with high through-plane thermal conductivity from carbon fiber fillers vertically aligned by electrostatic flocking.

Science.gov (United States)

Uetani, Kojiro; Ata, Seisuke; Tomonoh, Shigeki; Yamada, Takeo; Yumura, Motoo; Hata, Kenji

2014-09-03

Electrostatic flocking is applied to create an array of aligned carbon fibers from which an elastomeric thermal interface material (TIM) can be fabricated with a high through-plane thermal conductivity of 23.3 W/mK. A high thermal conductivity can be achieved with a significantly low filler level (13.2 wt%). As a result, this material retains the intrinsic properties of the matrix, i.e., elastomeric behavior. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Femtosecond laser inscription of asymmetric directional couplers for in-fiber optical taps and fiber cladding photonics.

Science.gov (United States)

Grenier, Jason R; Fernandes, Luís A; Herman, Peter R

2015-06-29

Precise alignment of femtosecond laser tracks in standard single mode optical fiber is shown to enable controllable optical tapping of the fiber core waveguide light with fiber cladding photonic circuits. Asymmetric directional couplers are presented with tunable coupling ratios up to 62% and bandwidths up to 300 nm at telecommunication wavelengths. Real-time fiber monitoring during laser writing permitted a means of controlling the coupler length to compensate for micron-scale alignment errors and to facilitate tailored design of coupling ratio, spectral bandwidth and polarization properties. Laser induced waveguide birefringence was harnessed for polarization dependent coupling that led to the formation of in-fiber polarization-selective taps with 32 dB extinction ratio. This technology enables the interconnection of light propagating in pre-existing waveguides with laser-formed devices, thereby opening a new practical direction for the three-dimensional integration of optical devices in the cladding of optical fibers and planar lightwave circuits.

Precise alignment of the collection fiber assisted by real-time plasma imaging in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Motto-Ros, V., E-mail: vincent.motto-ros@univ-lyon1.fr [Institut Lumière Matière, UMR 5306 Université Lyon 1-CNRS, Université de Lyon, 69622 Villeurbanne cedex (France); Negre, E. [Institut Lumière Matière, UMR 5306 Université Lyon 1-CNRS, Université de Lyon, 69622 Villeurbanne cedex (France); CRITT Matériaux Alsace, 19, rue de St Junien, 67305 Schiltigheim (France); Pelascini, F. [CRITT Matériaux Alsace, 19, rue de St Junien, 67305 Schiltigheim (France); Panczer, G.; Yu, J. [Institut Lumière Matière, UMR 5306 Université Lyon 1-CNRS, Université de Lyon, 69622 Villeurbanne cedex (France)

2014-02-01

Improving the repeatability and the reproducibility of measurement with laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is one of the actual challenging issues faced by the technique to fit the requirements of precise and accurate quantitative analysis. Among the numerous factors influencing the measurement stability in short and long terms, there are shot-to-shot and day-to-day fluctuations of the morphology of the plasma. Such fluctuations are due to the high sensitivity of laser-induced plasma to experimental conditions including properties of the sample, the laser parameters as well as properties of the ambient gas. In this paper, we demonstrate that precise alignment of the optical fiber for the collection of the plasma emission with respect to the actual morphology of the plasma assisted by real-time imaging, greatly improves the stability of LIBS measurements in short as well as in long terms. The used setup is based on a plasma imaging arrangement using a CCD camera and a real-time image processing. The obtained plasma image is displayed in a 2-dimensional frame where the position of the optical fiber is beforehand calibrated. In addition, the setup provides direct sample surface monitoring, which allows a precise control of the distance between the focusing lens and the sample surface. Test runs with a set of 8 reference samples show very high determination coefficient for calibration curves (R{sup 2} = 0.9999), and a long term repeatability and reproducibility of 4.6% (relative standard deviation) over a period of 3 months without any signal normalization. The capacity of the system to automatically correct the sample surface position for a tilted or non-regular sample surface during a surface mapping measurement is also demonstrated. - Highlights: • Automated alignment of the collection fiber by real-time plasma imaging • High level control of experimental parameters in LIBS experiments • Improvement of the short and long term stability in LIBS

Precise alignment of the collection fiber assisted by real-time plasma imaging in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Motto-Ros, V.; Negre, E.; Pelascini, F.; Panczer, G.; Yu, J.

2014-01-01

Improving the repeatability and the reproducibility of measurement with laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is one of the actual challenging issues faced by the technique to fit the requirements of precise and accurate quantitative analysis. Among the numerous factors influencing the measurement stability in short and long terms, there are shot-to-shot and day-to-day fluctuations of the morphology of the plasma. Such fluctuations are due to the high sensitivity of laser-induced plasma to experimental conditions including properties of the sample, the laser parameters as well as properties of the ambient gas. In this paper, we demonstrate that precise alignment of the optical fiber for the collection of the plasma emission with respect to the actual morphology of the plasma assisted by real-time imaging, greatly improves the stability of LIBS measurements in short as well as in long terms. The used setup is based on a plasma imaging arrangement using a CCD camera and a real-time image processing. The obtained plasma image is displayed in a 2-dimensional frame where the position of the optical fiber is beforehand calibrated. In addition, the setup provides direct sample surface monitoring, which allows a precise control of the distance between the focusing lens and the sample surface. Test runs with a set of 8 reference samples show very high determination coefficient for calibration curves (R 2 = 0.9999), and a long term repeatability and reproducibility of 4.6% (relative standard deviation) over a period of 3 months without any signal normalization. The capacity of the system to automatically correct the sample surface position for a tilted or non-regular sample surface during a surface mapping measurement is also demonstrated. - Highlights: • Automated alignment of the collection fiber by real-time plasma imaging • High level control of experimental parameters in LIBS experiments • Improvement of the short and long term stability in LIBS measurements

Effect of Environment on Stress-Rupture Behavior of a Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Silicon Carbide (C/SiC) Ceramic Matrix Composite

Science.gov (United States)

Verrilli, Michael J.; Opila, Elizabeth J.; Calomino, Anthony; Kiser, J. Douglas

2002-01-01

Stress-rupture tests were conducted in air, vacuum, and steam-containing environments to identify the failure modes and degradation mechanisms of a carbon fiber-reinforced silicon carbide (C/SiC) composite at two temperatures, 600 and 1200 C. Stress-rupture lives in air and steam containing environments (50 - 80% steam with argon) are similar for a composite stress of 69 MPa at 1200 C. Lives of specimens tested in a 20% steam/argon environment were about twice as long. For tests conducted at 600 C, composite life in 20% steam/argon was 20 times longer than life in air. Thermogravimetric analysis of the carbon fibers was conducted under similar conditions to the stress-rupture tests. The oxidation rate of the fibers in the various environments correlated with the composite stress-rupture lives. Examination of the failed specimens indicated that oxidation of the carbon fibers was the primary damage mode for specimens tested in air and steam environments at both temperatures.

Replication of self-centering optical fiber alignment structures using hot embossing

Science.gov (United States)

Ebraert, Evert; Wissmann, Markus; Barié, Nicole; Guttmann, Markus; Schneider, Marc; Kolew, Alexander; Worgull, Matthias; Beri, Stefano; Watté, Jan; Thienpont, Hugo; Van Erps, Jürgen

2016-04-01

With the demand for broadband connectivity on the rise due to various services like video-on-demand and cloud computing becoming more popular, the need for better connectivity infrastructure is high. The only future- proof option to supply this infrastructure is to deploy "fiber to the home" (FTTH) networks. One of the main difficulties with the deployment of FTTH is the vast amount of single-mode fiber (SMF) connections that need to be made. Hence there is a strong need for components which enable high performance, robust and easy-to- use SMF connectors. Since large-scale deployment is the goal, these components should be mass-producible at low cost. We discuss a rapid prototyping process on the basis of hot embossing replication of a self-centering alignment system (SCAS) based on three micro-springs, which can position a SMF independently of its diameter. This is beneficial since there is a fabrication tolerance of up to +/-1 μm on a standard G.652 SMF's diameter that can lead to losses if the outer diameter is used as a reference for alignment. The SCAS is first prototyped with deep proton writing (DPW) in polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) after which it is glued to a copper substrate with an adhesive. Using an electroforming process, a nickel block is grown over the PMMA prototype followed by mechanical finishing to fabricate a structured nickel mould insert. Even though the mould insert shows non- ideal and rounded features it is used to create PMMA replicas of the SCAS by means of hot embossing. The SCAS possesses a central opening in which a bare SMF can be clamped, which is designed with a diameter of 121 μm. PMMA replicas are dimensionally characterized using a multisensor coordinate measurement machine and show a central opening diameter of 128.3 +/- 2.8 μm. This should be compared to the central opening diameter of the DPW prototype used for mould formation which was measured to be 120.5 μm. This shows that the electroforming and subsequent replication

Realignment process of actin stress fibers in single living cells studied by focused femtosecond laser irradiation

OpenAIRE

Yasukuni, Ryohei; Spitz, Jean-Alexis; Meallet-Renault, Rachel; Negishi, Takayuki; Tada, Takuji; Hosokawa, Yoichiroh; Asahi, Tsuyoshi; Shukunami, Chisa; Hiraki, Yuji; Masuhara, Hiroshi

2007-01-01

Three-dimensional dissection of a single actin stress fiber in a living cell was performed based on multi-photon absorption of a focused femtosecond laser pulse. The realignment process of an actin stress fiber was investigated after its direct cutting by a single-shot femtosecond laser pulse irradiation by high-speed transmission and fluorescence imaging methods. It was confirmed that mechanical force led by the femtosecond laser cutting propagates to entire cell through the cytockelton in a...

Platelet-derived Growth-factor-releasing Aligned Collagen-nanoparticle Fibers Promote the Proliferation and Tenogenic Differentiation of Adipose-derived Stem Cells

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-27

among the most common ortho- pedic injuries to soldiers due to repeated exercise , heavy-duty work and battlefield injuries [1,2]. Tendon /ligament...longer, sustained effect on cells. This is highly desirable because tendons /ligaments tend to need a longer time to healing due to the lack of...C). A rat Achilles tendon can sustain a maximum force of 32 N. Depending on the outcome of mechanical evaluation, the aligned collagen fiber scaffold

The effect of fiber microstructure on evolution of residual stresses in silicon carbide/titanium aluminide composites

Science.gov (United States)

Pindera, Marek-Jerzy; Freed, Alan D.

1992-01-01

This paper examines the effect of the morphology of the SCS6 silicon carbide fiber on the evolution of residual stresses in SiC/Ti composites. A micromechanics model based on the concentric cylinder concept is presented which is used to calculate residual stresses in a SiC/Ti composite during axisymmetric cooling by a spatially uniform temperature change. The silicon carbide fiber is modeled as a layered material with five distinct transversely isotropic and orthotropic, elastic layers, whereas the titanium matrix is taken to be isotropic, with temperature-dependent elastoplastic properties. The results arc compared with those obtained based on the assumption that the silicon carbide fiber is isotropic and homogeneous.

Bidirectional Interplay between Vimentin Intermediate Filaments and Contractile Actin Stress Fibers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yaming Jiu

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The actin cytoskeleton and cytoplasmic intermediate filaments contribute to cell migration and morphogenesis, but the interplay between these two central cytoskeletal elements has remained elusive. Here, we find that specific actin stress fiber structures, transverse arcs, interact with vimentin intermediate filaments and promote their retrograde flow. Consequently, myosin-II-containing arcs are important for perinuclear localization of the vimentin network in cells. The vimentin network reciprocally restricts retrograde movement of arcs and hence controls the width of flat lamellum at the leading edge of the cell. Depletion of plectin recapitulates the vimentin organization phenotype of arc-deficient cells without affecting the integrity of vimentin filaments or stress fibers, demonstrating that this cytoskeletal cross-linker is required for productive interactions between vimentin and arcs. Collectively, our results reveal that plectin-mediated interplay between contractile actomyosin arcs and vimentin intermediate filaments controls the localization and dynamics of these two cytoskeletal systems and is consequently important for cell morphogenesis.

A Theoretical Study on Quantitative Prediction and Evaluation of Thermal Residual Stresses in Metal Matrix Composite (Case 1 : Two-Dimensional In-Plane Fiber Distribution)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Joon Hyun; Son, Bong Jin

1997-01-01

Although discontinuously reinforced metal matrix composite(MMC) is one of the most promising materials for applications of aerospace, automotive industries, the thermal residual stresses developed in the MMC due to the mismatch in coefficients of thermal expansion between the matrix and the fiber under a temperature change has been pointed out as one of the serious problem in practical applications. There are very limited nondestructive techniques to measure the residual stress of composite materials. However, many difficulties have been reported in their applications. Therefore it is important to establish analytical model to evaluate the thermal residual stress of MMC for practical engineering application. In this study, an elastic model is developed to predict the average thermal residual stresses in the matrix and fiber of a misoriented short fiber composite. The thermal residual stresses are induced by the mismatch in the coefficient of the thermal expansion of the matrix and fiber when the composite is subjected to a uniform temperature change. The model considers two-dimensional in-plane fiber misorientation. The analytical formulation of the model is based on Eshelby's equivalent inclusion method and is unique in that it is able to account for interactions among fibers. This model is more general than past models to investigate the effect of parameters which might influence thermal residual stress in composites. The present model is to investigate the effects of fiber volume fraction, distribution type, distribution cut-off angle, and aspect ratio on thermal residual stress for in-plane fiber misorientation. Fiber volume fraction, aspect ratio, and distribution cut-off angle are shown to have more significant effects on the magnitude of the thermal residual stresses than fiber distribution type for in-plane misorientation

Interplay between Solo and keratin filaments is crucial for mechanical force-induced stress fiber reinforcement.

Science.gov (United States)

Fujiwara, Sachiko; Ohashi, Kazumasa; Mashiko, Toshiya; Kondo, Hiroshi; Mizuno, Kensaku

2016-03-15

Mechanical force-induced cytoskeletal reorganization is essential for cell and tissue remodeling and homeostasis; however, the underlying cellular mechanisms remain elusive. Solo (ARHGEF40) is a RhoA-targeting guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) involved in cyclical stretch-induced human endothelial cell reorientation and convergent extension cell movement in zebrafish gastrula. In this study, we show that Solo binds to keratin-8/keratin-18 (K8/K18) intermediate filaments through multiple sites. Solo overexpression promotes the formation of thick actin stress fibers and keratin bundles, whereas knockdown of Solo, expression of a GEF-inactive mutant of Solo, or inhibition of ROCK suppresses stress fiber formation and leads to disorganized keratin networks, indicating that the Solo-RhoA-ROCK pathway serves to precisely organize keratin networks, as well as to promote stress fibers. Of importance, knockdown of Solo or K18 or overexpression of GEF-inactive or deletion mutants of Solo suppresses tensile force-induced stress fiber reinforcement. Furthermore, knockdown of Solo or K18 suppresses tensile force-induced RhoA activation. These results strongly suggest that the interplay between Solo and K8/K18 filaments plays a crucial role in tensile force-induced RhoA activation and consequent actin cytoskeletal reinforcement. © 2016 Fujiwara et al. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). Two months after publication it is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Cyclic Fiber Push-In Test Monitors Evolution of Interfacial Behavior in Ceramic Matrix Composites

Science.gov (United States)

Eldridge, Jeffrey I.

1998-01-01

SiC fiber-reinforced ceramic matrix composites are being developed for high-temperature advanced jet engine applications. Obtaining a strong, tough composite material depends critically on optimizing the mechanical coupling between the reinforcing fibers and the surrounding matrix material. This has usually been accomplished by applying a thin C or BN coating onto the surface of the reinforcing fibers. The performance of these fiber coatings, however, may degrade under cyclic loading conditions or exposure to different environments. Degradation of the coating-controlled interfacial behavior will strongly affect the useful service lifetime of the composite material. Cyclic fiber push-in testing was applied to monitor the evolution of fiber sliding behavior in both C- and BN-coated small-diameter (15-mm) SiC-fiber-reinforced ceramic matrix composites. The cyclic fiber push-in tests were performed using a desktop fiber push-out apparatus. At the beginning of each test, the fiber to be tested was aligned underneath a 10- mm-diameter diamond punch; then, the applied load was cycled between selected maximum and minimum loads. From the measured response, the fiber sliding distance and frictional sliding stresses were determined for each cycle. Tests were performed in both room air and nitrogen. Cyclic fiber push-in tests of C-coated, SiC-fiber-reinforced SiC showed progressive increases in fiber sliding distances along with decreases in frictional sliding stresses for continued cycling in room air. This rapid degradation in interfacial response was not observed for cycling in nitrogen, indicating that moisture exposure had a large effect in immediately lowering the frictional sliding stresses of C-coated fibers. These results indicate that matrix cracks bridged by C-coated fibers will not be stable, but will rapidly grow in moisture-containing environments. In contrast, cyclic fiber push-in tests of both BN-coated, SiC-fiber-reinforced SiC and BNcoated, SiC-fiber

Direct Writing of Fiber Bragg Grating in Microstructured Polymer Optical Fiber

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stefani, Alessio; Stecher, Matthias; Town, G. E.

2012-01-01

We report point-by-point laser direct writing of a 1520-nm fiber Bragg grating in a microstructured polymer optical fiber (mPOF). The mPOF is specially designed such that the microstructure does not obstruct the writing beam when properly aligned. A fourth-order grating is inscribed in the m......POF with only a 2.5-s writing time....

Application of a distributed optical fiber sensing technique in monitoring the stress of precast piles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Y; Shi, B; Wei, G Q; Zhang, D; Chen, S E

2012-01-01

Due to its ability in providing long distance, distributed sensing, the optical fiber sensing technique based on a Brillouin optical time domain reflectometer (BOTDR) has a unique advantage in monitoring the stability and safety of linear structures. This paper describes the application of a BOTDR-based technique to measure the stress within precast piles. The principle behind the BOTDR and the embedding technique for the sensing optical fiber in precast piles is first introduced, and then the analysis method and deformation and stress calculation based on distributed strain data are given. Finally, a methodology for using a BOTDR-based monitoring workflow for in situ monitoring of precast piles, combined with a practical example, is introduced. The methodology requires implantation of optical fibers prior to pile placement. Field experimental results show that the optical fiber implantation method with slotting, embedding, pasting and jointing is feasible, and have accurately measured the axial force, side friction, end-bearing resistance and bearing feature of the precast pile according to the strain measuring data. (paper)

Development of Circular Disk Model for Polymeric Nanocomposites and Micromechanical Analysis of Residual Stresses in Reinforced Fibers with Carbon Nanotubes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. R. Ghasemi

2017-02-01

Full Text Available In this study, Circular Disk Model (CDM has been developed to determine the residual stresses in twophase and three- phase unit cell. The two-phase unit cell is consisting of carbon fiber and matrix. The three-phase unit cell is consisting of carbon fiber, carbon nanotubes and matrix in which the carbon fiber is reinforced with the carbon nanotube using electrophoresis method. For different volume fractions of carbon nanotubes, thermal properties of the carbon fiber and carbon nanotube in different linear and lateral directions and also different placement conditions of carbon nanotubes have been considered. Also, residual stresses distribution in two and three phases has been studied, separately. Results of micromechanical analysis of residual stresses obtained from Finite Element Method and CDM, confirms the evaluation and development of three dimensional CDM.

Electrochromic fiber-shaped supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xuli; Lin, Huijuan; Deng, Jue; Zhang, Ye; Sun, Xuemei; Chen, Peining; Fang, Xin; Zhang, Zhitao; Guan, Guozhen; Peng, Huisheng

2014-12-23

An electrochromic fiber-shaped super-capacitor is developed by winding aligned carbon nanotube/polyaniline composite sheets on an elastic fiber. The fiber-shaped supercapacitors demonstrate rapid and reversible chromatic transitions under different working states, which can be directly observed by the naked eye. They are also stretchable and flexible, and are woven into textiles to display designed signals in addition to storing energy. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Continuous Natural Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites by Fiber Surface Modification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patcharat Wongsriraksa

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Continuous natural fiber reinforced thermoplastic materials are expected to replace inorganic fiber reinforced thermosetting materials. However, in the process of fabricating the composite, it is difficult to impregnate the thermoplastic resin into reinforcement fiber because of the high melt viscosity. Therefore, intermediate material, which allows high impregnation during molding, has been investigated for fabricating continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite by aligning resin fiber alongside reinforcing fiber with braiding technique. This intermediate material has been called “microbraid yarn (MBY.” Moreover, it is well known that the interfacial properties between natural fiber and resin are low; therefore, surface treatment on continuous natural fiber was performed by using polyurethane (PU and flexible epoxy (FLEX to improve the interfacial properties. The effect of surface treatment on the mechanical properties of continuous natural fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites was examined. From these results, it was suggested that surface treatment by PU with low content could produce composites with better mechanical properties.

Effects of fiber ellipticity and orientation on dynamic stress concentrations in porous fiber-reinforced composites

Science.gov (United States)

Hasheminejad, Seyyed M.; Sanaei, Roozbeh

2007-11-01

Interaction of time harmonic fast longitudinal and shear incident plane waves with an elliptical fiber embedded in a porous elastic matrix is studied. The novel features of Biot dynamic theory of poroelasticity along with the classical method of eigen-function expansion and the pertinent boundary conditions are employed to develop a closed form series solution involving Mathieu and modified Mathieu functions of complex arguments. The complications arising due to the non-orthogonality of angular Mathieu functions corresponding to distinct wave numbers in addition to the problems associated with appearance of additional angular dependent terms in the boundary conditions are all avoided by expansion of the angular Mathieu functions in terms of transcendental functions and subsequent integration, leading to a linear set of independent equations in terms of the unknown scattering coefficients. A MATHEMATICA code is developed for computing the Mathieu functions in terms of complex Fourier coefficients which are themselves calculated by numerically solving appropriate sets of eigen-systems. The analytical results are illustrated with numerical examples in which an elastic fiber of elliptic cross section is insonified by a plane fast compressional or shear wave at normal incidence. The effects of fiber cross sectional ellipticity, angle of incidence (fiber two-dimensional orientation), and incident wave polarization (P, SV, SH) on dynamic stress concentrations are studied in a relatively wide frequency range. Limiting cases are considered and fair agreements with well-known solutions are established.

Antares automatic beam alignment system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Appert, Q.; Swann, T.; Sweatt, W.; Saxman, A.

1980-01-01

Antares is a 24-beam-line CO 2 laser system for controlled fusion research, under construction at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL). Rapid automatic alignment of this system is required prior to each experiment shot. The alignment requirements, operational constraints, and a developed prototype system are discussed. A visible-wavelength alignment technique is employed that uses a telescope/TV system to view point light sources appropriately located down the beamline. Auto-alignment is accomplished by means of a video centroid tracker, which determines the off-axis error of the point sources. The error is nulled by computer-driven, movable mirrors in a closed-loop system. The light sources are fiber-optic terminations located at key points in the optics path, primarily at the center of large copper mirrors, and remotely illuminated to reduce heating effects

Time dependent micromechanics in continuous graphite fiber/epoxy composites with fiber breaks

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Chao Hui

Time dependent micromechanics in graphite fiber/epoxy composites around fiber breaks was investigated with micro Raman spectroscopy (MRS) and two shear-lag based composite models, a multi-fiber model (VBI) and a single fiber model (SFM), which aim at predicting the strain/stress evolutions in the composite from the matrix creep behavior and fiber strength statistics. This work is motivated by the need to understand the micromechanics and predict the creep-rupture of the composites. Creep of the unfilled epoxy was characterized under different stress levels and at temperatures up to 80°C, with two power law functions, which provided the modeling parameters used as input for the composite models. Both the VBI and the SFM models showed good agreement with the experimental data obtained with MRS, when inelasticity (interfacial debonding and/or matrix yielding) was not significant. The maximum shear stress near a fiber break relaxed at t-alpha/2 (or as (1+ talpha)-1/2) and the load recovery length increased at talpha/2(or (1+ talpha)1/2) following the model predictions. When the inelastic zone became non-negligible, the viscoelastic VBI model lost its competence, while the SFM with inelasticity showed good agreement with the MRS measurements. Instead of using the real fiber spacing, an effective fiber spacing was used in model predictions, taking into account of the radial decay of the interfacial shear stress from the fiber surface. The comparisons between MRS data and the SFM showed that inelastic zone would initiate when the shear strain at the fiber end exceeds a critical value gammac which was determined to be 5% for this composite system at room temperature and possibly a smaller value at elevated temperatures. The stress concentrations in neighboring intact fibers played important roles in the subsequent fiber failure and damage growth. The VBI model predicts a constant stress concentration factor, 1.33, for the 1st nearest intact fiber, which is in good

Profilin is required for viral morphogenesis, syncytium formation, and cell-specific stress fiber induction by respiratory syncytial virus

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Barik Sailen

2003-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Actin is required for the gene expression and morphogenesis of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV, a clinically important Pneumovirus of the Paramyxoviridae family. In HEp-2 cells, RSV infection also induces actin stress fibers, which may be important in the immunopathology of the RSV disease. Profilin, a major regulator of actin polymerization, stimulates viral transcription in vitro. Thus, we tested the role of profilin in RSV growth and RSV-actin interactions in cultured cells (ex vivo. Results We tested three cell lines: HEp-2 (human, A549 (human, and L2 (rat. In all three, RSV grew well and produced fused cells (syncytium, and two RSV proteins, namely, the phosphoprotein P and the nucleocapsid protein N, associated with profilin. In contrast, induction of actin stress fibers by RSV occurred in HEp-2 and L2 cells, but not in A549. Knockdown of profilin by RNA interference had a small effect on viral macromolecule synthesis but strongly inhibited maturation of progeny virions, cell fusion, and induction of stress fibers. Conclusions Profilin plays a cardinal role in RSV-mediated cell fusion and viral maturation. In contrast, interaction of profilin with the viral transcriptional proteins P and N may only nominally activate viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Stress fiber formation is a cell-specific response to infection, requiring profilin and perhaps other signaling molecules that are absent in certain cell lines. Stress fibers per se play no role in RSV replication in cell culture. Clearly, the cellular architecture controls multiple steps of host-RSV interaction, some of which are regulated by profilin.

Bidirectional Interplay between Vimentin Intermediate Filaments and Contractile Actin Stress Fibers.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiu, Yaming; Lehtimäki, Jaakko; Tojkander, Sari; Cheng, Fang; Jäälinoja, Harri; Liu, Xiaonan; Varjosalo, Markku; Eriksson, John E; Lappalainen, Pekka

2015-06-16

The actin cytoskeleton and cytoplasmic intermediate filaments contribute to cell migration and morphogenesis, but the interplay between these two central cytoskeletal elements has remained elusive. Here, we find that specific actin stress fiber structures, transverse arcs, interact with vimentin intermediate filaments and promote their retrograde flow. Consequently, myosin-II-containing arcs are important for perinuclear localization of the vimentin network in cells. The vimentin network reciprocally restricts retrograde movement of arcs and hence controls the width of flat lamellum at the leading edge of the cell. Depletion of plectin recapitulates the vimentin organization phenotype of arc-deficient cells without affecting the integrity of vimentin filaments or stress fibers, demonstrating that this cytoskeletal cross-linker is required for productive interactions between vimentin and arcs. Collectively, our results reveal that plectin-mediated interplay between contractile actomyosin arcs and vimentin intermediate filaments controls the localization and dynamics of these two cytoskeletal systems and is consequently important for cell morphogenesis. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Measurement of Temperature and Relative Humidity with Polymer Optical Fiber Sensors Based on the Induced Stress-Optic Effect

Science.gov (United States)

Pontes, Maria José

2018-01-01

This paper presents a system capable of measuring temperature and relative humidity with polymer optical fiber (POF) sensors. The sensors are based on variations of the Young’s and shear moduli of the POF with variations in temperature and relative humidity. The system comprises two POFs, each with a predefined torsion stress that resulted in a variation in the fiber refractive index due to the stress-optic effect. Because there is a correlation between stress and material properties, the variation in temperature and humidity causes a variation in the fiber’s stress, which leads to variations in the fiber refractive index. Only two photodiodes comprise the sensor interrogation, resulting in a simple and low-cost system capable of measuring humidity in the range of 5–97% and temperature in the range of 21–46 °C. The root mean squared errors (RMSEs) between the proposed sensors and the reference were 1.12 °C and 1.36% for the measurements of temperature and relative humidity, respectively. In addition, fiber etching resulted in a sensor with a 2 s response time for a relative humidity variation of 10%, which is one of the lowest recorded response times for intrinsic POF humidity sensors. PMID:29558387

Characteristics of the Foot Static Alignment and the Plantar Pressure Associated with Fifth Metatarsal Stress Fracture History in Male Soccer Players: a Case-Control Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Matsuda, Sho; Fukubayashi, Toru; Hirose, Norikazu

2017-12-01

There is a large amount of information regarding risk factors for fifth metatarsal stress fractures; however, there are few studies involving large numbers of subjects. This study aimed to compare the static foot alignment and distribution of foot pressure of athletes with and without a history of fifth metatarsal stress fractures. The study participants comprised 335 collegiate male soccer players. Twenty-nine with a history of fifth metatarsal stress fractures were in the fracture group and 306 were in the control group (with subgroups as follows: 30 in the fracture foot group and 28 in the non-fracture group). We measured the foot length, arch height, weight-bearing leg-heel alignment, non-weight-bearing leg-heel alignment, forefoot angle relative to the rearfoot, forefoot angle relative to the horizontal axis, and foot pressure. The non-weight-bearing leg-heel alignment was significantly smaller and the forefoot angle relative to the rearfoot was significantly greater in the fracture foot group than in the control foot group (P = 0.049 and P = 0.038, respectively). With regard to plantar pressure, there were no significant differences among the groups. Midfield players had significantly higher rates of fifth metatarsal stress fracture in their histories, whereas defenders had significantly lower rates (chi-square = 13.2, P stress fractures according to the type of foot (kicking foot vs. pivoting foot) or the severity of ankle sprain. Playing the midfield position and having an everted rearfoot and inverted forefoot alignment were associated with fifth metatarsal stress fractures. This information may be helpful for preventing fifth metatarsal stress fracture recurrence. More detailed load evaluations and a prospective study are needed in the future.

Electrospun meshes possessing region-wise differences in fiber orientation, diameter, chemistry and mechanical properties for engineering bone-ligament-bone tissues.

Science.gov (United States)

Samavedi, Satyavrata; Vaidya, Prasad; Gaddam, Prudhvidhar; Whittington, Abby R; Goldstein, Aaron S

2014-12-01

Although bone-patellar tendon-bone (B-PT-B) autografts are the gold standard for repair of anterior cruciate ligament ruptures, they suffer from drawbacks such as donor site morbidity and limited supply. Engineered tissues modeled after B-PT-B autografts are promising alternatives because they have the potential to regenerate connective tissue and facilitate osseointegration. Towards the long-term goal of regenerating ligaments and their bony insertions, the objective of this study was to construct 2D meshes and 3D cylindrical composite scaffolds - possessing simultaneous region-wise differences in fiber orientation, diameter, chemistry and mechanical properties - by electrospinning two different polymers from off-set spinnerets. Using a dual drum collector, 2D meshes consisting of an aligned polycaprolactone (PCL) fiber region, randomly oriented poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) fiber region and a transition region (comprised of both PCL and PLGA fibers) were prepared, and region-wise differences were confirmed by microscopy and tensile testing. Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) cultured on these meshes exhibited random orientations and low aspect ratios on the random PLGA regions, and high aspect ratios and alignment on the aligned PCL regions. Next, meshes containing an aligned PCL region flanked by two transition regions and two randomly oriented PLGA regions were prepared and processed into 3D cylindrical composite scaffolds using an interpenetrating photo-crosslinkable polyethylene glycol diacrylate hydrogel to recapitulate the shape of B-PT-B autografts. Tensile testing indicated that cylindrical composites were mechanically robust, and eventually failed due to stress concentration in the aligned PCL region. In summary, this study demonstrates a process to fabricate electrospun meshes possessing region-wise differences in properties that can elicit region-dependent cell responses, and be readily processed into scaffolds with the shape of B-PT-B autografts. �

Optical interconnection for a polymeric PLC device using simple positional alignment.

Science.gov (United States)

Ryu, Jin Hwa; Kim, Po Jin; Cho, Cheon Soo; Lee, El-Hang; Kim, Chang-Seok; Jeong, Myung Yung

2011-04-25

This study proposes a simple cost-effective method of optical interconnection between a planar lightwave circuit (PLC) device chip and an optical fiber. It was conducted to minimize and overcome the coupling loss caused by lateral offset which is due to the process tolerance and the dimensional limitation existing between PLC device chips and fiber array blocks with groove structures. A PLC device chip and a fiber array block were simultaneously fabricated in a series of polymer replication processes using the original master. The dimensions (i.e., width and thickness) of the under-clad of the PLC device chip were identical to those of the fiber array block. The PLC device chip and optical fiber were aligned by simple positional control for the vertical direction of the PLC device chip under a particular condition. The insertion loss of the proposed 1 x 2 multimode optical splitter device interconnection was 4.0 dB at 850 nm and the coupling loss was below 0.1 dB compared with single-fiber based active alignment.

Effect of Cell Sheet Manipulation Techniques on the Expression of Collagen Type II and Stress Fiber Formation in Human Chondrocyte Sheets.

Science.gov (United States)

Wongin, Sopita; Waikakul, Saranatra; Chotiyarnwong, Pojchong; Siriwatwechakul, Wanwipa; Viravaidya-Pasuwat, Kwanchanok

2018-03-01

Cell sheet technology is applied to human articular chondrocytes to construct a tissue-like structure as an alternative treatment for cartilage defect. The effect of a gelatin manipulator, as a cell sheet transfer system, on the quality of the chondrocyte sheets was investigated. The changes of important chondrogenic markers and stress fibers, resulting from the cell sheet manipulation, were also studied. The chondrocyte cell sheets were constructed with patient-derived chondrocytes using a temperature-responsive polymer and a gelatin manipulator as a transfer carrier. The properties of the cell sheets, including sizes, expression levels of collagen type II and I, and the localization of the stress fibers, were assessed and compared with those of the cell sheets harvested without the gelatin manipulator. Using the gelatin manipulator, the original size of the chondrocyte cell sheets was retained with abundant stress fibers, but with a decrease in the expression of collagen type II. Without the gelatin manipulator, although the cell shrinkage occurred, the cell sheet with suppressed stress fiber formation showed significantly higher levels of collagen type II. These results support our observations that stress fiber formation in chondrocyte cell sheets affected the production of chondrogenic markers. These densely packed tissue-like structures possessed a good chondrogenic activity, indicating their potential for use in autologous chondrocyte implantation to treat cartilage defects.

Cell orientation and regulation of cell–cell communication in human mesenchymal stem cells on different patterns of electrospun fibers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Jui-Chih; Fujita, Satoshi; Tonami, Hiroyuki; Iwata, Hiroo; Kato, Koichi; Hsu, Shan-hui

2013-01-01

Cell behavior can be manipulated by the topography of the culture surface. In this study, we examined the intercellular communication and osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) grown on electrospun fibers with different orientations and densities. Human bone marrow-derived MSCs (hMSCs) were seeded on poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) electrospun scaffolds composed of aligned (1D) or cross-aligned (2D) fibers (1.0–1.2 µm diameter) with high, medium, or low fiber densities. It was found that cells preferred to adhere onto electrospun PCL fibers rather than on the flat substrate. The immunofluorescence staining showed that the expression of vinculin, a focal adhesion protein, was limited to the periphery and the two extremities of aligned cells on the edge of the fibers. Electron microscopy showed that cells extended their lamellipodia across the adjacent fibers and proliferated along the direction of fibers. Cells grown on 1D fibrous scaffolds at all fiber densities had an obvious alignment. On 2D fibers, a higher degree of cell alignment was observed at the higher fiber density. On 1D scaffolds, the gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC) quantified by the lucifer yellow dye transfer assay was significantly promoted in the aligned cells in the direction parallel to the fibers but was abolished in the direction perpendicular to the fibers. The expression of osteogenic marker genes (RUNX2, ALP, and OCN) was significantly enhanced in seven days by culture on 1D but not 2D fibers. It was thus proposed that the promoted osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs may be associated with the fiber-guided and directional induction of GJIC. (paper)

A Piezoelectroluminescent Fiber-Optical Sensor for Diagnostics of the 3D Stress State in Composite Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Pan'kov, A. A.

2018-05-01

The mathematical model of a piezoelectroluminescent fiber-optical sensor is developed for diagnostics of the 3D stress state of composite structures. The sensor model is a coaxial sector-compound layered cylinder consisting of a central optical fiber with electroluminescent and piezoelectric layers and an external uniform elastic buffer layer. The electroluminescent and piezoelectric layers are separated by radial-longitudinal boundaries, common for both layers, into geometrically equal six "measuring elements" — cylindrical two-layered sectors. The directions of 3D polarization of the piezoelectric phases and the frequencies of luminous efficacy of the electroluminescent phases are different in each sector. In the sensor, a thin translucent "internal" controlling electrode is located between the optical fiber and the electroluminescent layer, and the piezoelectric layer is coated by a thin "external" controlling electrode. The results of numerical modeling of the nonuniform coupled electroelastic fields of the piezoelectroluminescent fiber-optical sensor in the loaded "representative volume" of a composite, taking into account the action of the controlling voltage on the internal and external electrodes, of a numerical calculation of "informative and controlling coefficients" of the sensor, and of testing of an arbitrary 3D stress of state of a unidirectional glass-fiber plastic by the finite-element method are presented.

Carbon nanotube fiber spun from wetted ribbon

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Yuntian T; Arendt, Paul; Zhang, Xiefei; Li, Qingwen; Fu, Lei; Zheng, Lianxi

2014-04-29

A fiber of carbon nanotubes was prepared by a wet-spinning method involving drawing carbon nanotubes away from a substantially aligned, supported array of carbon nanotubes to form a ribbon, wetting the ribbon with a liquid, and spinning a fiber from the wetted ribbon. The liquid can be a polymer solution and after forming the fiber, the polymer can be cured. The resulting fiber has a higher tensile strength and higher conductivity compared to dry-spun fibers and to wet-spun fibers prepared by other methods.

The alignment of carbon nanotubes: an effective route to extend their excellent properties to macroscopic scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Xuemei; Chen, Tao; Yang, Zhibin; Peng, Huisheng

2013-02-19

To improve the practical application of carbon nanotubes, it is critically important to extend their physical properties from the nanoscale to the macroscopic scale. Recently, chemists aligned continuous multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) sheets and fibers to produce materials with high mechanical strength and electrical conductivity. This provided an important clue to the use of MWCNTs at macroscopic scale. Researchers have made multiple efforts to optimize this aligned structure and improve the properties of MWCNT sheets and fibers. In this Account, we briefly highlight the new synthetic methods and promising applications of aligned MWCNTs for organic optoelectronic materials and devices. We describe several general methods to prepare both horizontally and perpendicularly aligned MWCNT/polymer composite films, through an easy solution or melting process. The composite films exhibit the combined properties of being flexible, transparent, and electrically conductive. These advances may pave the way to new flexible substrates for organic solar cells, sensing devices, and other related applications. Similarly, we discuss the synthesis of aligned MWCNT/polymer composite fibers with interesting mechanical and electrical properties. Through these methods, we can incorporate a wide variety of soluble or fusible polymers for such composite films and fibers. In addition, we can later introduce functional polymers with conjugated backbones or side chains to improve the properties of these composite materials. In particular, cooperative interactions between aligned MWCNTs and polymers can produce novel properties that do not occur individually. Common examples of this are two types of responsive polymers, photodeformable azobenzene-containing liquid crystalline polymer and chromatic polydiacetylene. Aligning the structure of MWCNTs induces the orientation of azobenzene-containing mesogens, and produces photodeformable polymer elastomers. This strategy also solves the long

Strain Measurement during Stress Rupture of Composite Over-Wrapped Pressure Vessel with Fiber Bragg Gratings Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Banks, Curtis E.; Grant, Joseph; Russell, Sam; Arnett, Shawn

2008-01-01

Fiber optic Bragg gratings were used to measure strain fields during Stress Rupture (SSM) test of Kevlar Composite Over-Wrapped Pressure Vessels (COPV). The sensors were embedded under the over-wrapped attached to the liner released from the Kevlar and attached to the Kevlar released from the liner. Additional sensors (foil gages and fiber bragg gratings) were surface mounted on the COPY liner.

Optimized fiber delivery system for Q-switched, Nd:YAG lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Setchell, R.E.

1997-01-01

Interest in the transmission of high intensities through optical fibers is being motivated by an increasing number of applications. Using different laser types and fiber materials, various studies are encountering transmission limitations due to laser-induced damage processes. For a number of years we have been investigating these limiting processes during the transmission of Q-switched, multimode, Nd:YAG laser pulses through step-index, multimode, fused-silica fiber. We have found that fiber transmission is often limited by a plasma-forming breakdown occurring at the fiber entrance face. This breakdown can result in subtle surface modifications that leave the entrance face more resistant to further breakdown or damage events. Catastrophic fiber damage can also occur as a result of a variety of mechanisms, with damage appearing at fiber entrance and exit faces, within the initial entry segment of the fiber path, and at other internal sites due to fiber fixturing and routing effects. System attributes that will affect breakdown and damage thresholds include laser characteristics, the design and alignment of laser-to-fiber injection optics, and fiber end-face preparation. In the present work we have combined insights gained in past studies in order to establish what thresholds can be achieved if all system attributes can be optimized to some degree. Our multimode laser utilized past modifications that produced a relatively smooth, quasi-Gaussian profile. The laser-to-fiber injection system achieved a relatively low value for the ratio of peak-to-average fluences at the fiber entrance face, incorporated a mode scrambler to generate a broad mode power distribution within the initial segment of the fiber path, and had improved fixturing to insure that the fiber axis was collinear with the incident laser beam. Test fibers were from a particular production lot for which initial-strength characteristics were established and a high-stress proof test was performed

Bearing Stress at Failure of Double-Lap Hybrid Joints in Woven Fabric Kenaf Fiber Composite Plates under Quasi-static Loading

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lee Sim Yee

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The present paper is focused on the bearing stress at failure of double-lap woven fabric kenaf fiber reinforced polymer (KFRP hybrid bonded-bolted joints in experimental frameworks. The effects of different normalized plate width (plate width/hole diameter, W/d, lay-up types and bolt loads were incorporated in current study as specified in testing series. Generally, hybrid joint coupons separated within adhesive layer prior to net-tension failure or bearing/net-tension failure. The bearing stress at failure increased as W/d ratio increment, critical W/d is given as four and three in clamped and finger tight condition respectively. Lay-up types present insignificant effect to bearing stress at failure due to low volume fiber fraction in kenaf fiber composites. Combination of thicker and clamped conditions plate demonstrated greater bearing stress than equivalent finger-tight (FT conditions due to higher load transferred from friction, as expected.

Homogenization of aligned “fuzzy fiber” composites

KAUST Repository

Chatzigeorgiou, George; Efendiev, Yalchin; Lagoudas, Dimitris C.

2011-01-01

The aim of this work is to study composites in which carbon fibers coated with radially aligned carbon nanotubes are embedded in a matrix. The effective properties of these composites are identified using the asymptotic expansion homogenization

Coupling biochemistry and mechanics in cell adhesion: a model for inhomogeneous stress fiber contraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Besser, Achim; Schwarz, Ulrich S

2007-01-01

Biochemistry and mechanics are closely coupled in cell adhesion. At sites of cell-matrix adhesion, mechanical force triggers signaling through the Rho-pathway, which leads to structural reinforcement and increased contractility in the actin cytoskeleton. The resulting force acts back to the sites of adhesion, resulting in a positive feedback loop for mature adhesion. Here, we model this biochemical-mechanical feedback loop for the special case when the actin cytoskeleton is organized in stress fibers, which are contractile bundles of actin filaments. Activation of myosin II molecular motors through the Rho-pathway is described by a system of reaction-diffusion equations, which are coupled into a viscoelastic model for a contractile actin bundle. We find strong spatial gradients in the activation of contractility and in the corresponding deformation pattern of the stress fiber, in good agreement with experimental findings

Electrode alignment of transverse tripoles using a percutaneous triple-lead approach in spinal cord stimulation

Science.gov (United States)

Sankarasubramanian, V.; Buitenweg, J. R.; Holsheimer, J.; Veltink, P.

2011-02-01

The aim of this modeling study is to determine the influence of electrode alignment of transverse tripoles on the paresthesia coverage of the pain area in spinal cord stimulation, using a percutaneous triple-lead approach. Transverse tripoles, comprising a central cathode and two lateral anodes, were modeled on the low-thoracic vertebral region (T10-T12) using percutaneous triple-lead configurations, with the center lead on the spinal cord midline. The triple leads were oriented both aligned and staggered. In the staggered configuration, the anodes were offset either caudally (caudally staggered) or rostrally (rostrally staggered) with respect to the midline cathode. The transverse tripolar field steering with the aligned and staggered configurations enabled the estimation of dorsal column fiber thresholds (IDC) and dorsal root fiber thresholds (IDR) at various anodal current ratios. IDC and IDR were considerably higher for the aligned transverse tripoles as compared to the staggered transverse tripoles. The aligned transverse tripoles facilitated deeper penetration into the medial dorsal columns (DCs). The staggered transverse tripoles always enabled broad and bilateral DC activation, at the expense of mediolateral steerability. The largest DC recruited area was obtained with the rostrally staggered transverse tripole. Transverse tripolar geometries, using percutaneous leads, allow for selective targeting of either medial or lateral DC fibers, if and only if the transverse tripole is aligned. Steering of anodal currents between the lateral leads of the staggered transverse tripoles cannot target medially confined populations of DC fibers in the spinal cord. An aligned transverse tripolar configuration is strongly recommended, because of its ability to provide more post-operative flexibility than other configurations.

High-Throughput Image Analysis of Fibrillar Materials: A Case Study on Polymer Nanofiber Packing, Alignment, and Defects in Organic Field Effect Transistors.

Science.gov (United States)

Persson, Nils E; Rafshoon, Joshua; Naghshpour, Kaylie; Fast, Tony; Chu, Ping-Hsun; McBride, Michael; Risteen, Bailey; Grover, Martha; Reichmanis, Elsa

2017-10-18

High-throughput discovery of process-structure-property relationships in materials through an informatics-enabled empirical approach is an increasingly utilized technique in materials research due to the rapidly expanding availability of data. Here, process-structure-property relationships are extracted for the nucleation, growth, and deposition of semiconducting poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) nanofibers used in organic field effect transistors, via high-throughput image analysis. This study is performed using an automated image analysis pipeline combining existing open-source software and new algorithms, enabling the rapid evaluation of structural metrics for images of fibrillar materials, including local orientational order, fiber length density, and fiber length distributions. We observe that microfluidic processing leads to fibers that pack with unusually high density, while sonication yields fibers that pack sparsely with low alignment. This is attributed to differences in their crystallization mechanisms. P3HT nanofiber packing during thin film deposition exhibits behavior suggesting that fibers are confined to packing in two-dimensional layers. We find that fiber alignment, a feature correlated with charge carrier mobility, is driven by increasing fiber length, and that shorter fibers tend to segregate to the buried dielectric interface during deposition, creating potentially performance-limiting defects in alignment. Another barrier to perfect alignment is the curvature of P3HT fibers; we propose a mechanistic simulation of fiber growth that reconciles both this curvature and the log-normal distribution of fiber lengths inherent to the fiber populations under consideration.

Radiation-induced attenuation in polarization maintaining fibers: low dose rate response, stress, and materials effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gingerich, M.E.; Friebele, E.J.; Hickey, S.J.; Brambani, L.A.; Onstott, J.R.

1989-01-01

The loss induced in polarization-maintaining (PM) fibers by low dose rate <0.01 Gy/h, where 1 Gy = 100 rads(Si) radiation exposure has been found to vary from <0.4 to ∼6 dB/km-10 Gy, depending on the wavelength of measurement and the fiber. Correlations have been established between low dose rate response and the ''permanent'' induced loss determined by fitting the recovery of the induced loss following high dose rate exposure to nth-order kinetics. Using this technique, both 0.85- and 1.3-μm PM fibers have been found which show virtually no permanent incremental loss and would therefore appear to be resistant to low dose rate radiation environments. The asymmetric stress inherent in PM fibers has been shown to reduce the permanent induced loss, while the recovery of the radiation-induced attenuation was found to be enhanced in fibers with Ge-F-doped silica clads

Transfer of an exfoliated monolayer graphene flake onto an optical fiber end face for erbium-doped fiber laser mode-locking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosa, Henrique Guimaraes; De Souza, Eunézio A Thoroh; Gomes, José Carlos Viana

2015-01-01

This paper presents, for the first time, the successful transfer of exfoliated monolayer graphene flake to the optical fiber end face and alignment to its core. By fabricating and optimizing a polymeric poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) substrate, it is possible to obtain a contrast of up to 11% for green light illumination, allowing the identification of monolayer graphene flakes that were transferred to optical fiber samples and aligned to its core. With Raman spectroscopy, it is demonstrated that graphene flake completely covers the optical fiber core, and its quality remains unaltered after the transfer. The generation of mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser pulses, with a duration of 672 fs, with a single-monolayer graphene flake as a saturable absorber, is demonstrated for the first time. This transfer technique is of general applicability and can be used for other two-dimensional (2D) exfoliated materials. (letter)

Cerenkov fiber sampling calorimeters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arrington, K.; Kefford, D.; Kennedy, J.; Pisani, R.; Sanzeni, C.; Segall, K.; Wall, D.; Winn, D.R.; Carey, R.; Dye, S.; Miller, J.; Sulak, L.; Worstell, W.; Efremenko, Y.; Kamyshkov, Y.; Savin, A.; Shmakov, K.; Tarkovsky, E.

1994-01-01

Clear optical fibers were used as a Cerenkov sampling media in Pb (electromagnetic) and Cu (hadron) absorbers in spaghetti calorimeters, for high rate and high radiation dose experiments, such as the forward region of high energy colliders. The fiber axes were aligned close to the direction of the incident particles (1 degree--7 degree). The 7 λ deep hadron tower contained 2.8% by volume 1.5 mm diameter core clear plastic fibers. The 27 radiation length deep electromagnetic towers had packing fractions of 6.8% and 7.2% of 1 mm diameter core quartz fibers as the active Cerenkov sampling medium. The energy resolution on electrons and pions, energy response, pulse shapes and angular studies are presented

Effects of stress-shielding on the dynamic viscoelasticity and ordering of the collagen fibers in rabbit Achilles tendon.

Science.gov (United States)

Ikoma, Kazuya; Kido, Masamitsu; Nagae, Masateru; Ikeda, Takumi; Shirai, Toshiharu; Ueshima, Keiichiro; Arai, Yuji; Oda, Ryo; Fujiwara, Hiroyoshi; Kubo, Toshikazu

2013-11-01

We investigated the effects of stress-shielding on both viscoelastic properties and microstructure of collagen fibers in the Achilles tendon by proton double-quantum filtered ((1) H-DQF) NMR spectroscopy. The right hind-limbs of 20 Japanese white rabbits were immobilized for 4 weeks in a cast with the ankle in plantarflexion. Dynamic viscoelasticity of the Achilles tendons was measured using a viscoelastic spectrometer. Proton DQF NMR signals were analyzed to determine the residual dipolar coupling of bound water molecules in the Achilles tendons. Both the dynamic storage modulus (E') and dynamic loss modulus (E″) decreased significantly in the Achilles tendons of the stress-shielding group. The results of the (1) H-DQF NMR examination demonstrated significantly reduced residual dipolar coupling in the Achilles tendons of this same group. The disorientation of collagen fibers by stress-shielding should contribute to degradation of the dynamic storage and loss moduli. The alterations of the collagen fiber orientation that contributed to the function of tendinous tissue can be evaluated by performing an analysis of (1) H DQF NMR spectroscopy. © 2013 Orthopaedic Research Society.

3D-Printing of Meso-structurally Ordered Carbon Fiber/Polymer Composites with Unprecedented Orthotropic Physical Properties

Science.gov (United States)

Lewicki, James P.; Rodriguez, Jennifer N.; Zhu, Cheng; Worsley, Marcus A.; Wu, Amanda S.; Kanarska, Yuliya; Horn, John D.; Duoss, Eric B.; Ortega, Jason M.; Elmer, William; Hensleigh, Ryan; Fellini, Ryan A.; King, Michael J.

2017-03-01

Here we report the first example of a class of additively manufactured carbon fiber reinforced composite (AMCFRC) materials which have been achieved through the use of a latent thermal cured aromatic thermoset resin system, through an adaptation of direct ink writing (DIW) 3D-printing technology. We have developed a means of printing high performance thermoset carbon fiber composites, which allow the fiber component of a resin and carbon fiber fluid to be aligned in three dimensions via controlled micro-extrusion and subsequently cured into complex geometries. Characterization of our composite systems clearly show that we achieved a high order of fiber alignment within the composite microstructure, which in turn allows these materials to outperform equivalently filled randomly oriented carbon fiber and polymer composites. Furthermore, our AM carbon fiber composite systems exhibit highly orthotropic mechanical and electrical responses as a direct result of the alignment of carbon fiber bundles in the microscale which we predict will ultimately lead to the design of truly tailorable carbon fiber/polymer hybrid materials having locally programmable complex electrical, thermal and mechanical response.

Investigation on Stress-Rupture Behavior of a Chopped-Glass-Fiber Composite for Automotive Durability Design Criteria

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ren, W

2001-08-24

Practical and inexpensive testing methods were developed to investigate stress-rupture properties of a polymeric composite with chopped glass fiber reinforcement for automotive applications. The material was tested in representative automotive environments to generate experimental data. The results indicate that environments have substantial effects on the stress-rupture behavior. The data were analyzed and developed into stress-rupture design criteria to address one of the durability aspects of the material for automotive structural applications.

Replacing fuel alignment in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poetz, F.; Kalthoff, W.

1991-01-01

Up to the end of 1989 varying numbers of broken fuel alignment pins were detected in several German PWRs (80 broken pins in all). The distribution of these broken pins over the core cross-section was more or less random. The problem was due to the stress corrosion cracking of the pin material and was restricted to individual pins. It was concluded that all fuel alignment pins made of Inconel X-750 should be replaced. The development of a new pin, more resistant to intergranular stress corrosion, and the replacement technique are outlined. (author)

"Brick-and-Mortar" Nanostructured Interphase for Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites.

Science.gov (United States)

De Luca, Francois; Sernicola, Giorgio; Shaffer, Milo S P; Bismarck, Alexander

2018-02-28

The fiber-matrix interface plays a critical role in determining composite mechanical properties. While a strong interface tends to provide high strength, a weak interface enables extensive debonding, leading to a high degree of energy absorption. Balancing these conflicting requirements by engineering composite interfaces to improve strength and toughness simultaneously still remains a great challenge. Here, a nanostructured fiber coating was realized to manifest the critical characteristics of natural nacre, at a reduced length scale, consistent with the surface curvature of fibers. The new interphase contains a high proportion (∼90 wt %) of well-aligned inorganic platelets embedded in a polymer; the window of suitable platelet dimensions is very narrow, with an optimized platelet width and thickness of about 130 and 13 nm, respectively. An anisotropic, nanostructured coating was uniformly and conformally deposited onto a large number of 9 μm diameter glass fibers, simultaneously, using self-limiting layer-by-layer assembly (LbL); this parallel approach demonstrates a promising strategy to exploit LbL methods at scale. The resulting nanocomposite interphase, primarily loaded in shear, provides new mechanisms for stress dissipation and plastic deformation. The energy released by fiber breakage in tension appear to spread and dissipate within the nanostructured interphase, accompanied by stable fiber slippage, while the interfacial strength was improved up to 30%.

Effects of fiber/matrix interactions on the interfacial deformation micromechanics of cellulose-fiber/polymer composites

Science.gov (United States)

Tze, William Tai-Yin

The overall objective of this dissertation was to gain an understanding of the relationship between interfacial chemistry and the micromechanics of the cellulose-fiber/polymer composites. Regenerated cellulose (lyocell) fibers were treated with amine-, phenylamine-, phenyl-, and octadecyl-silanes, and also styrene-maleic anhydride copolymer. Inverse gas chromatography was conducted to evaluate the modified surfaces and to examine the adsorption behavior of ethylbenzene, a model compound for polystyrene, onto the fibers. Micro-composites were formed by depositing micro-droplets of polystyrene onto single fibers. The fiber was subjected to a tensile strain, and Raman spectroscopy was employed to determine the point-to-point variation of the strain- and stress-sensitive 895 cm-1 band of cellulose along the embedded region. Inverse gas chromatography studies reveal that the Ia-b values, calculated by matching the Lewis acid parameter ( KA) and basic parameter (KB) between polystyrene and different fibers, were closely correlated to the acid-base adsorption enthalpies of ethylbenzene onto the corresponding fibers. Hence, Ia-b was subsequently used as a convenient indicator for fiber/matrix acid-base interaction. The Raman micro-spectroscopic studies demonstrate that the interfacial tensile strain and stress are highest at the edge of the droplet, and these values decline from the edge region to the middle region of the embedment. The maximum of these local strains corresponds to a strain-control fracture of the matrix polymer. The minimum of the local tensile stress corresponds to the extent of fiber-to-matrix load transfer. The slope of the tensile stress profile allows for an estimation of the maximum interfacial shear stress, which is indicative of fiber/polymer (practical) adhesion. As such, a novel micro-Raman tensile technique was established for evaluating the ductile-fiber/brittle-polymer system in this study. The micro-Raman tensile technique provided maximum

Phase-matched light amplification by three-wave mixing process in a birefringent fiber due to externally applied stress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohashi, M.; Kitayama, K.; Ishida, Y.; Uchida, N.

1982-01-01

A novel method to achieve phase-matched light amplification in a birefringent fiber via the three-wave mixing is proposed by using frequency shift change due to the stress applied to the fiber. It is confirmed that the signal power from a cw laser diode at lambda = 1.292 μm is amplified by 6.1 x 10 3 times in the birefringent fiber pumped with a Q-switched Nd: yttrium aluminum garnet laser at lambda = 1.064 μm. This will provide a new fiber-optic light signal amplifier having a good tolerance for variation of signal wavelengths

Effect of fabric structure and polymer matrix on flexural strength, interlaminar shear stress, and energy dissipation of glass fiber-reinforced polymer composites

Science.gov (United States)

We report the effect of glass fiber structure and the epoxy polymer system on the flexural strength, interlaminar shear stress (ILSS), and energy absorption properties of glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites. Four different GFRP composites were fabricated from two glass fiber textiles of...

Dynamics of myosin II organization into cortical contractile networks and fibers

Science.gov (United States)

Nie, Wei; Wei, Ming-Tzo; Ou-Yang, Daniel; Jedlicka, Sabrina; Vavylonis, Dimitrios

2014-03-01

The morphology of adhered cells critically depends on the formation of a contractile meshwork of parallel and cross-linked stress fibers along the contacting surface. The motor activity and mini-filament assembly of non-muscle myosin II is an important component of cell-level cytoskeletal remodeling during mechanosensing. To monitor the dynamics of myosin II, we used confocal microscopy to image cultured HeLa cells that stably express myosin regulatory light chain tagged with GFP (MRLC-GFP). MRLC-GFP was monitored in time-lapse movies at steady state and during the response of cells to varying concentrations of blebbistatin which disrupts actomyosin stress fibers. Using image correlation spectroscopy analysis, we quantified the kinetics of disassembly and reassembly of actomyosin networks and compared them to studies by other groups. This analysis suggested that the following processes contribute to the assembly of cortical actomyosin into fibers: random myosin mini-filament assembly and disassembly along the cortex; myosin mini-filament aligning and contraction; stabilization of cortical myosin upon increasing contractile tension. We developed simple numerical simulations that include those processes. The results of simulations of cells at steady state and in response to blebbistatin capture some of the main features observed in the experiments. This study provides a framework to help interpret how different cortical myosin remodeling kinetics may contribute to different cell shape and rigidity depending on substrate stiffness.

Residual stress analysis in carbon fiber-reinforced SiC ceramics; Eigenspannungsanalyse in kohlenstoffaserverstaerkten SiC-Keramiken

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Broda, M.

1998-12-31

Systematic residual stress analyses are reported, carried out in long-fiber reinforced SiC ceramics. The laminated C{sub fiber}/SiC{sub matrix} specimens used were prepared by polymer pyrolysis, and the structural component specimens used are industrial products. Various diffraction methods have been applied for non-destructive evaluation of residual stress fields, so as to completely detect the residual stresses and their distribution in the specimens. The residual stress fields at the surface ({mu}m) have been measured using characteristic X-radiation and applying the sin {sup 2}{psi} method as well as the scatter vector method. For residual stress field analysis in the mass volume (cm), neutron diffraction has been applied. The stress fields in the fiber layers (approx. 250{mu}m) have been measured as a function of their location within the laminated composite by using an energy-dispersive method and synchrotron radiation. By means of the systematic, process-accompanying residual stress and phase analyses, conclusions can be drawn as to possible approaches for optimization of fabrication parameters. (orig./CB) [Deutsch] Im Rahmen der Arbeit werden systematische Eigenspannungsanalysen an langfaserverstaerkten SiC-Keramiken durchgefuehrt. Hierbei werden polymerpyrolytisch abgeleitete, laminierte C{sub Faser}/SiC{sub Matrix} Proben und Bauteile untersucht, welche industriell gefertigt wurden. Fuer die zerstoerungsfreie Eigenspannungsermittlung kommen verschiedene Beugungsverfahren zum Einsatz. Dadurch kann die Eigenspannungsverteilung in diesen Proben vollstaendig erfasst werden, d.h. der Eigenspannungszustand im Oberflaechenbereich ({mu}m) wird mit Hilfe charakteristischer Roentgenstrahlung unter Nutzung der sin{sup 2}{psi}-Methode als auch der Streuvektor-Methode beschrieben. Fuer die Analyse der Eigenspannungen im Volumen (cm) wird die Neutronenbeugung herangezogen. Um den Spannungszustand in den einzelnen Fasermatten (ca. 250 {mu}m) in Abhaengigkeit ihrer Lage

Modeling and Analysis of a Combined Stress-Vibration Fiber Bragg Grating Sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Kun; Lin, Qijing; Jiang, Zhuangde; Zhao, Na; Tian, Bian; Shi, Peng; Peng, Gang-Ding

2018-03-01

A combined stress-vibration sensor was developed to measure stress and vibration simultaneously based on fiber Bragg grating (FBG) technology. The sensor is composed of two FBGs and a stainless steel plate with a special design. The two FBGs sense vibration and stress and the sensor can realize temperature compensation by itself. The stainless steel plate can significantly increase sensitivity of vibration measurement. Theoretical analysis and Finite Element Method (FEM) were used to analyze the sensor's working mechanism. As demonstrated with analysis, the obtained sensor has working range of 0-6000 Hz for vibration sensing and 0-100 MPa for stress sensing, respectively. The corresponding sensitivity for vibration is 0.46 pm/g and the resulted stress sensitivity is 5.94 pm/MPa, while the nonlinearity error for vibration and stress measurement is 0.77% and 1.02%, respectively. Compared to general FBGs, the vibration sensitivity of this sensor is 26.2 times higher. Therefore, the developed sensor can be used to concurrently detect vibration and stress. As this sensor has height of 1 mm and weight of 1.15 g, it is beneficial for minimization and integration.

Align and random electrospun mat of PEDOT:PSS and PEDOT:PSS/RGO

Science.gov (United States)

Sarabi, Ghazale Asghari; Latifi, Masoud; Bagherzadeh, Roohollah

2018-01-01

In this research work we fabricated two ultrafine conductive nanofibrous layers to investigate the materilas composition and their properties for the preparation of supercapacitor materials application. In first layer, a polymer and a conductive polymer were used and second layer was a composition of polymer, conductive polymer and carbon-base material. In both cases align and randomized mat of conductive nanofibers were fabricated using electrospinning set up. Conductive poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/ polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) nanofibers were electrospun by dissolving fiber-forming polymer and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in an aqueous dispersion of PEDOT:PSS. The effect of addition of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) was considered for nanocomposite layer. The ultrafine conductive polymer fibers and conductive nanocomposite fibrous materials were also fabricated using an electrospinning process. A fixed collector and a rotating drum were used for random and align nanofibers production, respectively. The resulted fibers were characterized and analyzed by SEM, FTIR and two-point probe conductivity test. The average diameter of nanofibers measured by ImageJ software indicated that the average fiber diameter for first layer was 100 nm and for nanocomposite layer was about 85 nm. The presence of PEDOT:PSS and RGO in the nanofibers was confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy. The conductivity of align and random layers was characterized. The conductivity of PEDOT:PSS nanofibers showed higher enhancement by addition of RGO in aqueous dispersion. The obtained results showed that alignment of fibrous materials can be considered as an engineering tool for tuning the conductivity of fibrous materials for many different applications such as supercapacitors, conductive and transparent materials.

Axial loaded stress views and kinematic MR imaging evaluation of patellar alignment and tracking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shellock, F.G.; Mink, J.H.; Deutsch, A.; Meeks, T.; Fox, J.; Molnar, T.

1990-01-01

This paper evaluates patellar alignment and tracking in patients with suspected abnormalities by obtaining axial loaded stress views to assess dynamic stabilizers and kinematic MR images to assess static stabilizers of the patellofemoral joint. Ninety-eight symptomatic joints were studied; 21 joints had prior realignment surgery. Axial loaded stress views were achieved with a device that simulated weight bearing. Images were obtained with knees flexed at 20 degrees ± 5 degrees while the patient resisted with an isometric contraction. Kinematic MR imaging was performed according to previously described methods. Kinematic MR imaging showed normal findings in six joints, lateral subluxation in 22, medial subluxation in 58, lateral tilt in two, and lateral to medial subluxation in 10. Axial stress views showed normal findings in 30, lateral subluxation in 18, and medial subluxation in 50. Both tests agreed on abnormalities for 63% of the joints, while kinematic MR imaging showed abnormalities for an additional 32%

Collagen Fiber Orientation in Primate Long Bones.

Science.gov (United States)

Warshaw, Johanna; Bromage, Timothy G; Terranova, Carl J; Enlow, Donald H

2017-07-01

Studies of variation in orientation of collagen fibers within bone have lead to the proposition that these are preferentially aligned to accommodate different kinds of load, with tension best resisted by fibers aligned longitudinally relative to the load, and compression best resisted by transversely aligned fibers. However, previous studies have often neglected to consider the effect of developmental processes, including constraints on collagen fiber orientation (CFO), particularly in primary bone. Here we use circularly polarized light microscopy to examine patterns of CFO in cross-sections from the midshaft femur, humerus, tibia, radius, and ulna in a range of living primate taxa with varied body sizes, phylogenetic relationships and positional behaviors. We find that a preponderance of longitudinally oriented collagen is characteristic of both periosteal primary and intracortically remodeled bone. Where variation does occur among groups, it is not simply understood via interpretations of mechanical loads, although prioritized adaptations to tension and/or shear are considered. While there is some suggestion that CFO may correlate with body size, this relationship is neither consistent nor easily explicable through consideration of size-related changes in mechanical adaptation. The results of our study indicate that there is no clear relationship between CFO and phylogenetic status. One of the principle factors accounting for the range of variation that does exist is primary tissue type, where slower depositing bone is more likely to comprise a larger proportion of oblique to transverse collagen fibers. Anat Rec, 300:1189-1207, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Electrospun Nanofiber Scaffolds with Gradations in Fiber Organization

Science.gov (United States)

Khandalavala, Karl; Jiang, Jiang; Shuler, Franklin D.; Xie, Jingwei

2015-01-01

The goal of this protocol is to report a simple method for generating nanofiber scaffolds with gradations in fiber organization and test their possible applications in controlling cell morphology/orientation. Nanofiber organization is controlled with a new fabrication apparatus that enables the gradual decrease of fiber organization in a scaffold. Changing the alignment of fibers is achieved through decreasing deposition time of random electrospun fibers on a uniaxially aligned fiber mat. By covering the collector with a moving barrier/mask, along the same axis as fiber deposition, the organizational structure is easily controlled. For tissue engineering purposes, adipose-derived stem cells can be seeded to these scaffolds. Stem cells undergo morphological changes as a result of their position on the varied organizational structure, and can potentially differentiate into different cell types depending on their locations. Additionally, the graded organization of fibers enhances the biomimicry of nanofiber scaffolds so they more closely resemble the natural orientations of collagen nanofibers at tendon-to-bone insertion site compared to traditional scaffolds. Through nanoencapsulation, the gradated fibers also afford the possibility to construct chemical gradients in fiber scaffolds, and thereby further strengthen their potential applications in fast screening of cell-materials interaction and interfacial tissue regeneration. This technique enables the production of continuous gradient scaffolds, but it also can potentially produce fibers in discrete steps by controlling the movement of the moving barrier/mask in a discrete fashion. PMID:25938562

Influence of interfacial reactions on the fiber push-out behavior in sapphire fiber-reinforced-NiAl(Yb) composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tewari, S.N.; Asthana, R.; Tiwari, R.; Bowman, R.R.

1993-01-01

The influence of microstructure of the fiber-matrix interface on the fiber push-out behavior has been examined in sapphire fiber-reinforced NiAl and NiAl(Yb) matrix composites synthesized using powder metallurgy techniques combined with zone directional solidification (DS). The push-out stress-displacement curves were observed to consist of an initial 'pseudoelastic' region, wherein the stress increased linearly with displacement, followed by an 'inelastic' region, where the slope of the stress-displacement plot decreased until a maximum stress was reached, and the subsequent stress drop to a constant 'frictional' stress. Chemical reaction between the fiber and the matrix resulted in higher interfacial shear strength in powder cloth processed sapphire-NiAl(Yb) composites as compared to the sapphire-NiAl composites. Grain boundaries in contact with the fibers on the back face of the push-out samples were the preferred sites for crack nucleation in PM composites. The frictional stress was independent of the microstructure and processing variables for NiAl composites, but showed strong dependence on these variables for the NiAl(Yb) composites. The DS processing enhanced the fiber-matrix interfacial shear strength of feedstock PM-NiAl/sapphire composites. However, it reduced the interfacial shear strength of PM-NiAl(Yb)-sapphire composites

Design of Electrically Conductive Structural Composites by Modulating Aligned CVD-Grown Carbon Nanotube Length on Glass Fibers.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Delong; Fan, Benhui; Zhao, Hang; Lu, Xiaoxin; Yang, Minhao; Liu, Yu; Bai, Jinbo

2017-01-25

Function-integration in glass fiber (GF) reinforced polymer composites is highly desired for developing lightweight structures and devices with improved performance and structural health monitoring. In this study, homogeneously aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) shell was in situ grafted on GF by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). It was demonstrated that the CNT shell thickness and weight fraction can be modulated by controlling the CVD conditions. The obtained hierarchical CNTs-GF/epoxy composites show highly improved electrical conductivity and thermo-mechanical and flexural properties. The composite through-plane and in-plane electrical conductivities increase from a quasi-isolator value to ∼3.5 and 100 S/m, respectively, when the weight fraction of CNTs grafted on GF fabric varies from 0% to 7%, respectively. Meanwhile, the composite storage modulus and flexural modulus and strength improve as high as 12%, 21%, and 26%, respectively, with 100% retention of the glass transition temperature. The reinforcing mechanisms are investigated by analyzing the composite microstructure and the interfacial adhesion and wetting properties of CNTs-GF hybrids. Moreover, the specific damage-related resistance variation characteristics could be employed to in situ monitor the structural health state of the composites. The outstanding electrical and structural properties of the CNTs-GF composites were due to the specific interfacial and interphase structures created by homogeneously grafting aligned CNTs on each GF of the fabric.

Design of practical alignment device in KSTAR Thomson diagnostic

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, J. H., E-mail: jhlee@nfri.re.kr [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, S. H. [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Yamada, I. [National Institute for Fusion Science, Toki (Japan)

2016-11-15

The precise alignment of the laser path and collection optics in Thomson scattering measurements is essential for accurately determining electron temperature and density in tokamak experiments. For the last five years, during the development stage, the KSTAR tokamak’s Thomson diagnostic system has had alignment fibers installed in its optical collection modules, but these lacked a proper alignment detection system. In order to address these difficulties, an alignment verifying detection device between lasers and an object field of collection optics is developed. The alignment detection device utilizes two types of filters: a narrow laser band wavelength for laser, and a broad wavelength filter for Thomson scattering signal. Four such alignment detection devices have been successfully developed for the KSTAR Thomson scattering system in this year, and these will be tested in KSTAR experiments in 2016. In this paper, we present the newly developed alignment detection device for KSTAR’s Thomson scattering diagnostics.

Increasing the strength and bioactivity of collagen scaffolds using customizable arrays of 3D-printed polymer fibers.

Science.gov (United States)

Mozdzen, Laura C; Rodgers, Ryan; Banks, Jessica M; Bailey, Ryan C; Harley, Brendan A C

2016-03-01

Tendon is a highly aligned connective tissue which transmits force from muscle to bone. Each year, people in the US sustain more than 32 million tendon injuries. To mitigate poor functional outcomes due to scar formation, current surgical techniques rely heavily on autografts. Biomaterial platforms and tissue engineering methods offer an alternative approach to address these injuries. Scaffolds incorporating aligned structural features can promote expansion of adult tenocytes and mesenchymal stem cells capable of tenogenic differentiation. However, appropriate balance between scaffold bioactivity and mechanical strength of these constructs remains challenging. The high porosity required to facilitate cell infiltration, nutrient and oxygen biotransport within three-dimensional constructs typically results in insufficient biomechanical strength. Here we describe the use of three-dimensional printing techniques to create customizable arrays of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) fibers that can be incorporated into a collagen scaffold under development for tendon repair. Notably, mechanical performance of scaffold-fiber composites (elastic modulus, peak stress, strain at peak stress, and toughness) can be selectively manipulated by varying fiber-reinforcement geometry without affecting the native bioactivity of the collagen scaffold. Further, we report an approach to functionalize ABS fibers with activity-inducing growth factors via sequential oxygen plasma and carbodiimide crosslinking treatments. Together, we report an adaptable approach to control both mechanical strength and presence of biomolecular cues in a manner orthogonal to the architecture of the collagen scaffold itself. Tendon injuries account for more than 32 million injuries each year in the US alone. Current techniques use allografts to mitigate poor functional outcomes, but are not ideal platforms to induce functional regeneration following injury. Tissue engineering approaches using biomaterial

Effect of controlling recrystallization from the melt on the residual stress and structural properties of the Silica-clad Ge core fiber

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Ziwen; Cheng, Xueli; He, Ting; Xue, Fei; Zhang, Wei; Chen, Na; Wen, Jianxiang; Zeng, Xianglong; Wang, Tingyun

2017-09-01

Effect of controlling recrystallization from the melt (1000 °C) on the residual stress and structural properties of a Ge core fiber via molten core drawing (MCD) method is investigated. Ge core fibers is investigated using Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Compared with the as-drawn Ge fiber, the Raman peak of the recrystallized Ge fiber shift from 300 cm-1 to 300.6 cm-1 and full width at half maximum (FWHM) decreased from 5.36 cm-1 to 4.48 cm-1. The Ge crystal grains which sizes are of 200-600 nm were formed during the process of recrystallization; the XRD peak of (1 1 1) plane is observed after recrystallization. These results show that controlling recrystallization allows the release of the thermal stress, and improvement of the crystal quality of Ge core.

Investigation on Stress-Rupture Behavior of a Chopped-Glass-Fiber Composite for Automotive Durability Design Criteria; FINAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ren, W

2001-01-01

Practical and inexpensive testing methods were developed to investigate stress-rupture properties of a polymeric composite with chopped glass fiber reinforcement for automotive applications. The material was tested in representative automotive environments to generate experimental data. The results indicate that environments have substantial effects on the stress-rupture behavior. The data were analyzed and developed into stress-rupture design criteria to address one of the durability aspects of the material for automotive structural applications

Automated quantification of aligned collagen for human breast carcinoma prognosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeremy S Bredfeldt

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Mortality in cancer patients is directly attributable to the ability of cancer cells to metastasize to distant sites from the primary tumor. This migration of tumor cells begins with a remodeling of the local tumor microenvironment, including changes to the extracellular matrix and the recruitment of stromal cells, both of which facilitate invasion of tumor cells into the bloodstream. In breast cancer, it has been proposed that the alignment of collagen fibers surrounding tumor epithelial cells can serve as a quantitative image-based biomarker for survival of invasive ductal carcinoma patients. Specific types of collagen alignment have been identified for their prognostic value and now these tumor associated collagen signatures (TACS are central to several clinical specimen imaging trials. Here, we implement the semi-automated acquisition and analysis of this TACS candidate biomarker and demonstrate a protocol that will allow consistent scoring to be performed throughout large patient cohorts. Methods: Using large field of view high resolution microscopy techniques, image processing and supervised learning methods, we are able to quantify and score features of collagen fiber alignment with respect to adjacent tumor-stromal boundaries. Results: Our semi-automated technique produced scores that have statistically significant correlation with scores generated by a panel of three human observers. In addition, our system generated classification scores that accurately predicted survival in a cohort of 196 breast cancer patients. Feature rank analysis reveals that TACS positive fibers are more well-aligned with each other, are of generally lower density, and terminate within or near groups of epithelial cells at larger angles of interaction. Conclusion: These results demonstrate the utility of a supervised learning protocol for streamlining the analysis of collagen alignment with respect to tumor stromal boundaries.

Electrospinning of single wall carbon nanotube reinforced aligned fibrils and yarns

Science.gov (United States)

Lam, Hoa Le

Commercial carbon fibers produced from a polyacrylonitrile (PAN) precursor have reached their performance limit. The approach in this study involves the use of single carbon nanotubes (SWNT) with an ultra-high elastic modulus of approximately ˜1 TPa and tensile strength of ˜37 GPa at a breaking strain of ˜6% to reinforce PAN. In order to translate these extraordinary properties to a higher order structure, the need for a media to carry and assemble the SWNT into continuous fibers or yarns is necessary. Effective translation of properties can only be achieved through uniform distribution of SWNT and their alignment in the fiber axis. This has been one of the major challenges since SWNTs tend to agglomerate due to high van der Waals attraction between tubes. It is the goal of this study to develop dispersion technique(s) for the SWNT and process them into aligned fibers utilizing the electrospinning process. The electrospun nanofibers were then characterized by various techniques such as ESEM, Raman microspectroscopy, HRTEM, and tensile testing. Composite nanofibers containing various contents of SWNT up to 10 wt. % with diameter ranging from 40--300 nm were successfully electrospun through varying the polymer concentration and spinning parameters. The inclusion of SWNTs and their alignment in the fiber axis were confirmed by Raman microspectroscopy, polarized Raman and HRETEM. The failure mechanism of the nanofibers was investigated by HRTEM through fiber surface fracture. A two stage rupture mechanism was observed where crazing initiates at a surface defect followed by SWNTs pulling out of the PAN matrix. Such mechanisms consume energy therefore strengthening and toughening the fibers. Mechanical drawing of the fiber prior to heat treatment induced molecular orientation resulting in oriented graphite layers in the carbonized fibers. This study has established a processing base and characterization techniques to support the design and development of SWNT

Direct writing of fiber optic components in photonic crystal fibers and other specialty fibers

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandes, Luis Andre; Sezerman, Omur; Best, Garland; Ng, Mi Li; Kane, Saidou

2016-04-01

Femtosecond direct laser writing has recently shown great potential for the fabrication of complex integrated devices in the cladding of optical fibers. Such devices have the advantage of requiring no bulk optical components and no breaks in the fiber path, thus reducing the need for complicated alignment, eliminating contamination, and increasing stability. This technology has already found applications using combinations of Bragg gratings, interferometers, and couplers for the fabrication of optical filters, sensors, and power monitors. The femtosecond laser writing method produces a local modification of refractive index through non-linear absorption of the ultrafast laser pulses inside the dielectric material of both the core and cladding of the fiber. However, fiber geometries that incorporate air or hollow structures, such as photonic crystal fibers (PCFs), still present a challenge since the index modification regions created by the writing process cannot be generated in the hollow regions of the fiber. In this work, the femtosecond laser method is used together with a pre-modification method that consists of partially collapsing the hollow holes using an electrical arc discharge. The partial collapse of the photonic band gap structure provides a path for femtosecond laser written waveguides to couple light from the core to the edge of the fiber for in-line power monitoring. This novel approach is expected to have applications in other specialty fibers such as suspended core fibers and can open the way for the integration of complex devices and facilitate miniaturization of optical circuits to take advantage of the particular characteristics of the PCFs.

Experimental determination of the yield stress curve of the scotch pine wood materials

Science.gov (United States)

Günay, Ezgi; Aygün, Cevdet; Kaya, Şükrü Tayfun

2013-12-01

Yield stress curve is determined for the pine wood specimens by conducting a series of tests. In this work, pinewood is modeled as a composite material with transversely isotropic fibers. Annual rings (wood grain) of the wood specimens are taken as the major fiber directions with which the strain gauge directions are aligned. For this purpose, three types of tests are arranged. These are tensile, compression and torsion loading tests. All of the tests are categorized with respect to fiber orientations and their corresponding loading conditions. Each test within these categories is conducted separately. Tensile and compression tests are conducted in accordance with standards of Turkish Standards Institution (TSE) whereas torsion tests are conducted in accordance with Standards Australia. Specimens are machined from woods of Scotch pine which is widely used in boat building industries and in other structural engineering applications. It is determined that this species behaves more flexibly than the others. Strain gauges are installed on the specimen surfaces in such a way that loading measurements are performed along directions either parallel or perpendicular to the fiber directions. During the test and analysis phase of yield stress curve, orientation of strain gauge directions with respect to fiber directions are taken into account. The diagrams of the normal stress vs. normal strain or the shear stress vs. shear strain are plotted for each test. In each plot, the yield stress is determined by selecting the point on the diagram, the tangent of which is having a slope of 5% less than the slope of the elastic portion of the diagram. The geometric locus of these selected points constitutes a single yield stress curve on σ1-σ2 principal plane. The resulting yield stress curve is plotted as an approximate ellipse which resembles Tsai-Hill failure criterion. The results attained in this work, compare well with the results which are readily available in the literature.

Vertically aligned carbon nanotube-sheathed carbon fibers as pristine microelectrodes for selective monitoring of ascorbate in vivo.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiang, Ling; Yu, Ping; Hao, Jie; Zhang, Meining; Zhu, Lin; Dai, Liming; Mao, Lanqun

2014-04-15

Using as-synthesized vertically aligned carbon nanotube-sheathed carbon fibers (VACNT-CFs) as microelectrodes without any postsynthesis functionalization, we have developed in this study a new method for in vivo monitoring of ascorbate with high selectivity and reproducibility. The VACNT-CFs are formed via pyrolysis of iron phthalocyanine (FePc) on the carbon fiber support. After electrochemical pretreatment in 1.0 M NaOH solution, the pristine VACNT-CF microelectrodes exhibit typical microelectrode behavior with fast electron transfer kinetics for electrochemical oxidation of ascorbate and are useful for selective ascorbate monitoring even with other electroactive species (e.g., dopamine, uric acid, and 5-hydroxytryptamine) coexisting in rat brain. Pristine VACNT-CFs are further demonstrated to be a reliable and stable microelectrode for in vivo recording of the dynamic increase of ascorbate evoked by intracerebral infusion of glutamate. Use of a pristine VACNT-CF microelectrode can effectively avoid any manual electrode modification and is free from person-to-person and/or electrode-to-electrode deviations intrinsically associated with conventional CF electrode fabrication, which often involves electrode surface modification with randomly distributed CNTs or other pretreatments, and hence allows easy fabrication of highly selective, reproducible, and stable microelectrodes even by nonelectrochemists. Thus, this study offers a new and reliable platform for in vivo monitoring of neurochemicals (e.g., ascorbate) to largely facilitate future studies on the neurochemical processes involved in various physiological events.

Design, Construction, Alignment, and Calibration of a Compact Velocimetry Experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morris I Kaufman; Robert M Malone; Brent C Frogget; David L Esquibel; Vincent T Romero; Gregory A Lare; Bart Briggs; Adam J Iverson; Daniel K Frayer; Douglas DeVore Brian Cata

2007-01-01

A velocimetry experiment has been designed to measure shock properties for small cylindrical metal targets (8-mm-diameter by 2-mm thick). A target is accelerated by high explosives, caught, and retrieved for later inspection. The target is expected to move at a velocity of 0.1 to 3 km/sec. The complete experiment canister is approximately 105 mm in diameter and 380 mm long. Optical velocimetry diagnostics include the Velocity Interferometer System for Any Reflector (VISAR) and Photon Doppler Velocimetry (PDV). The packaging of the velocity diagnostics is not allowed to interfere with the catchment or an X-ray imaging diagnostic. A single optical relay, using commercial lenses, collects Doppler-shifted light for both VISAR and PDV. The use of fiber optics allows measurement of point velocities on the target surface during accelerations occurring over 15 mm of travel. The VISAR operates at 532 nm and has separate illumination fibers requiring alignment. The PDV diagnostic operates at 1550 nm, but is aligned and focused at 670 nm. The VISAR and PDV diagnostics are complementary measurements and they image spots in close proximity on the target surface. Because the optical relay uses commercial glass, the axial positions of the optical fibers for PDV and VISAR are offset to compensate for chromatic aberrations. The optomechanical design requires careful attention to fiber management, mechanical assembly and disassembly, positioning of the foam catchment, and X-ray diagnostic field-of-view. Calibration and alignment data are archived at each stage of the assembly sequence

Fiber Effects on Minicomposite Mechanical Properties for Several Silicon Carbide Fiber: Chemically Vapor-Infiltrated Silicon Carbide Matrix Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Morscher, Gregory N.; Martinez-Fernandez, Julian

1999-01-01

Several different types of SiC fiber tows were coated with BN and composited using chemically vapor-infiltrated SiC to form single-tow minicomposites. The types of SiC fiber included Nicalon(sup TM), Hi-Nicalon(sup TM), and the new Sylramic(sup TM) polycrystalline SiC fiber. The interfacial shear stresses were determined from unload-reload tensile hysteresis-loop tests. The ultimate stress and strain properties also were determined for the minicomposites. The ultimate strengths of the newer Hi-Nicalon and Sylramic fibers were superior to that of Nicalon minicomposites with similar fiber volume fractions. The Sylramic minicomposites had the lowest strain to failure and highest interfacial shear strength, respectively, because of the high modulus of the fiber and the rough surface of this fiber type. The apparent interfacial shear strength increased as the stress increased for the Sylramic minicomposites, which also was attributed to the surface roughness of this fiber.

Axially alignable nuclear fuel pellets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johansson, E.B.; Klahn, D.H.; Marlowe, M.O.

1978-01-01

An axially alignable nuclear fuel pellet of the type stacked in end-to-end relationship within a tubular cladding is described. Fuel cladding failures can occur at pellet interface locations due to mechanical interaction between misaligned fuel pellets and the cladding. Mechanical interaction between the cladding and the fuel pellets loads the cladding and causes increased cladding stresses. Nuclear fuel pellets are provided with an end structure that increases plastic deformation of the pellets at the interface between pellets so that lower alignment forces are required to straighten axially misaligned pellets. Plastic deformation of the pellet ends results in less interactions beween the cladding and the fuel pellets and significantly lowers cladding stresses. The geometry of pellets constructed according to the invention also reduces alignment forces required to straighten fuel pellets that are tilted within the cladding. Plastic deformation of the pellets at the pellet interfaces is increased by providing pellets with at least one end face having a centrally-disposed raised area of convex shape so that the mean temperature and shear stress of the contact area is higher than that of prior art pellets

Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer with Shredded Fibers: Quasi-Isotropic Material Properties and Antenna Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gerald Artner

2017-01-01

Full Text Available A carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP laminate, with the top layer consisting of shredded fibers, is proposed and manufactured. The shredded fibers are aligned randomly on the surface to achieve a more isotropic conductivity, as is desired in antenna applications. Moreover, fiber shreds can be recycled from carbon fiber composites. Conductivity, permittivity, and permeability are obtained with the Nicolson-Ross-Weir method from material samples measured inside rectangular waveguides in the frequency range of 4 to 6 GHz. The decrease in material anisotropy results in negligible influence on antennas. This is shown by measuring the proposed CFRP as ground plane material for both a narrowband wire monopole antenna for 5.9 GHz and an ultrawideband conical monopole antenna for 1–10 GHz. For comparison, all measurements are repeated with a twill-weave CFRP.

Carbon nano tubes embedded in polymer nano fibers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dror, Y.; Kedem, S.; Khalfin, R.L.; Paz, Y.; Cohenl, Y.; Salalha, Y.; Yarin, A.L.; Zussman, A.

2004-01-01

Full Text: The electro spinning process was used successfully to embed Multi-walled carbon nano tubes (MWCNTs) and single-walled carbon nano tubes (SWCNTs) in a matrix of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) forming composite nano fibers. Initial dispersion of SWCNTs in water was achieved by the use of an amphphilic alternating copolymer of styrene and sodium maleate. MWNT dispersion was achieved by ionic and nonionic surfactants. The distribution and conformation of the nano tubes in the nano fibers were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Oxygen plasma etching was used to expose the nano tubes within the nano fibers to facilitate direct observation. Nano tube alignment within the nano fibers was shown to depend strongly on the quality of the initial dispersions. Well-dispersed and separated nano tubes were embedded in a straight and aligned form while entangled non-separated nano tubes were incorporated as dense aggregates. X-ray diffraction demonstrated a high degree of orientation of the PEO crystals in the electro spun nano fibers with embedded SWCNTs, whereas incorporation of MVCNTs had a detrimental effect on the polymer orientation. Composite polymer nano fibers containing dispersed phases of nanometric TiO 2 particles and MWCNTs were also prepared electro spinning. In this case, the polymer matrix was poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN). The morphology and possible applications of these composite nano fibers will be discussed

Aligned flax fibre/polylactate composites

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Bo; Lilholt, Hans; Thygesen, Anders

2008-01-01

The potential of biocomposites in engineering applications is demonstrated by using aligned flax fibre/polylactate composites as a materials model system. The failure stress of flax fibres is measured by tensile testing of single fibres and fibre bundles. For both fibre configurations, it is found...... that failure stress is decreased by increasing the tested fibre volume. Based on two types of flax fibre preforms: carded sliver and unidirectional non-crimp fabric, aligned flax fibre/polylactate composites were fabricated with variable fibre content. The volumetric composition and tensile properties...... of the composite were measured. For composites with a fibre content of 37 % by volume, stiffness is about 20 GPa and failure stress is about 180 MPa. The tensile properties of the composites are analysed with a modified rule of mixtures model, which includes the effect of porosity. The experimental results...

Monitoring techniques for the manufacture of tapered optical fibers.

Science.gov (United States)

Mullaney, Kevin; Correia, Ricardo; Staines, Stephen E; James, Stephen W; Tatam, Ralph P

2015-10-01

The use of a range of optical techniques to monitor the process of fabricating optical fiber tapers is investigated. Thermal imaging was used to optimize the alignment of the optical system; the transmission spectrum of the fiber was monitored to confirm that the tapers had the required optical properties and the strain induced in the fiber during tapering was monitored using in-line optical fiber Bragg gratings. Tapers were fabricated with diameters down to 5 μm and with waist lengths of 20 mm using single-mode SMF-28 fiber.

Raman measurements of Kevlar-29 fiber pull-out test at different strain levels

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Quan; Lei, Zhenkun; Kang, Yilan; Qiu, Wei

2008-11-01

This paper adopted Kevlar-29 fiber monofilament embedding technology to prepare fiber/ epoxy resin tensile specimen. The specimen was pulled on a homemade and portable mini-loading device. At the same time micro-Raman spectroscopy is introduced to detect the distributions of stress on the embedded fiber at different strain levels. The characteristic peak shift of the 1610 cm-1 in Raman band has a linear relationship with the strain or stress. The experimental results show that the fiber axial stress decreases gradually from the embedded fiber-start to the embedded fiber-end at the same strain level. At different strain levels, the fiber axial stress increases along with the applied load. It reveals that there is a larger fiber axial stress distribution under a larger strain level. And the stress transfer is realized gradually from the embedded fiber-start to the fiber-end. Stress concentration exists in the embedded fiber-end, which is a dangerous region for interfacial debonding easily.

Fatigue Behavior of Steel Fiber Reinforced High-Strength Concrete under Different Stress Levels

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Chong; Gao, Danying; Gu, Zhiqiang

2017-12-01

The investigation was conducted to study the fatigue behavior of steel fiber reinforced high-strength concrete (SFRHSC) beams. A series of 5 SFRHSC beams was conducted flexural fatigue tests at different stress level S of 0.5, 0.55, 0.6, 0.7 and 0.8 respectively. Static test was conducted to determine the ultimate static capacity prior to fatigue tests. Fatigue modes and S-N curves were analyzed. Besides, two fatige life prediction model were analyzed and compared. It was found that stress level S significantly influenced the fatigue life of SFRHSC beams and the fatigue behavior of SFRHSC beams was mainly determined by the tensile reinforcement.

Measurements of Inertial Torques on Sedimenting Fibers

Science.gov (United States)

Hamati, Rami; Roy, Anubhab; Koch, Don; Voth, Greg

2017-11-01

Stokes flow solutions predict that ellipsoids sedimenting in quiescent fluid keep their initial orientation. However, preferential alignment in low Reynolds number sedimentation is easily observed. For example, sun dogs form from alignment of sedimenting ice crystals. The cause of this preferential alignment is a torque due to non-zero fluid inertia that aligns particles with a long axis in the horizontal direction. These torques are predicted analytically for slender fibers with low Reynolds number based on the fiber diameter (ReD) by Khayat and Cox (JFM 209:435, 1989). Despite increasingly widespread use of these expressions, we did not find experimental measurements of these inertial torques at parameters where the theory was valid, so we performed a set of sedimentation experiments using fore-aft symmetric cylinders and asymmetric cylinders with their center of mass offset from their center of drag. Measured rotation rates as a function of orientation using carefully prepared glass capillaries in silicon oil show good agreement with the theory. We quantify the effect of finite tank size and compare with other experiments in water where the low ReD condition is not met. Supported by Army Research Office Grant W911NF1510205.

Thermal stress modification in regenerated fiber Bragg grating via manipulation of glass transition temperature based on CO₂-laser annealing.

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Man-Hong; Lim, Kok-Sing; Gunawardena, Dinusha S; Yang, Hang-Zhou; Chong, Wu-Yi; Ahmad, Harith

2015-03-01

In this work, we have demonstrated thermal stress relaxation in regenerated fiber Bragg gratings (RFBGs) by using direct CO₂-laser annealing technique. After the isothermal annealing and slow cooling process, the Bragg wavelength of the RFBG has been red-shifted. This modification is reversible by re-annealing and rapid cooling. It is repeatable with different cooling process in the subsequent annealing treatments. This phenomenon can be attributed to the thermal stress modification in the fiber core by means of manipulation of glass transition temperature with different cooling rates. This finding in this investigation is important for accurate temperature measurement of RFBG in dynamic environment.

Effects of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes on shear performance of laminated nanocomposite bonded joints

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Davood Askari and Mehrdad N Ghasemi-Nejhad

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The main objective is to improve the most commonly addressed weakness of the laminated composites (i.e. delamination due to poor interlaminar strength using carbon nanotubes (CNTs as reinforcement between the laminae and in the transverse direction. In this work, a chemical vapor deposition technique has been used to grow dense vertically aligned arrays of CNTs over the surface of chemically treated two-dimensionally woven cloth and fiber tows. The nanoforest-like fabrics can be used to fabricate three-dimensionally reinforced laminated nanocomposites. The presence of CNTs aligned normal to the layers and in-between the layers of laminated composites is expected to considerably enhance the properties of the laminates. To demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach, composite single lap-joint specimens were fabricated for interlaminar shear strength testing. It was observed that the single lap-joints with through-the-thickness CNT reinforcement can carry considerably higher shear stresses and strains. Close examination of the test specimens showed that the failure of samples with CNT nanoforests was completely cohesive, while the samples without CNT reinforcement failed adhesively. This concludes that the adhesion of adjacent carbon fabric layers can be considerably improved owing to the presence of vertically aligned arrays of CNT nanoforests.

Effects of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes on shear performance of laminated nanocomposite bonded joints.

Science.gov (United States)

Askari, Davood; Ghasemi-Nejhad, Mehrdad N

2012-08-01

The main objective is to improve the most commonly addressed weakness of the laminated composites (i.e. delamination due to poor interlaminar strength) using carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as reinforcement between the laminae and in the transverse direction. In this work, a chemical vapor deposition technique has been used to grow dense vertically aligned arrays of CNTs over the surface of chemically treated two-dimensionally woven cloth and fiber tows. The nanoforest-like fabrics can be used to fabricate three-dimensionally reinforced laminated nanocomposites. The presence of CNTs aligned normal to the layers and in-between the layers of laminated composites is expected to considerably enhance the properties of the laminates. To demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach, composite single lap-joint specimens were fabricated for interlaminar shear strength testing. It was observed that the single lap-joints with through-the-thickness CNT reinforcement can carry considerably higher shear stresses and strains. Close examination of the test specimens showed that the failure of samples with CNT nanoforests was completely cohesive, while the samples without CNT reinforcement failed adhesively. This concludes that the adhesion of adjacent carbon fabric layers can be considerably improved owing to the presence of vertically aligned arrays of CNT nanoforests.

Dynamics of Cancer Cell near Collagen Fiber Chain

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jihan; Sun, Bo

Cell migration is an integrated process that is important in life. Migration is essential for embryonic development as well as homeostatic processes such as wound healing and immune responses. When cell migrates through connective extracellular matrix (ECM), it applies cellular traction force to ECM and senses the rigidity of their local environment. We used human breast cancer cell (MDA-MB-231) which is highly invasive and applies strong traction force to ECM. As cancer cell applies traction force to type I collage-based ECM, it deforms collagen fibers near the surface. Patterns of deforming collagen fibers are significantly different with pairs of cancer cells compared to a single cancer cell. While a pair of cancer cells within 60 um creates aligned collagen fiber chains between them permanently, a single cancer cell does not form any fiber chains. In this experiment we measured a cellular response and an interaction between a pair of cells through the chain. Finally, we analyzed correlation of directions between cancer cell migration and the collagen chain alignment.

Vertically aligned carbon nanotubes/carbon fiber paper composite to support Pt nanoparticles for direct methanol fuel cell application

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jing; Yi, Xi-bin; Liu, Shuo; Fan, Hui-Li; Ju, Wei; Wang, Qi-Chun; Ma, Jie

2017-03-01

Vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) grown on carbon fiber paper (CFP) by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition is introduced as a catalyst support material for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). Well dispersed Pt nanoparticles on VACNTs surface are prepared by impregnation-reduction method. The VACNTs on CFP possess well-maintained alignment, large surface area and good electrical conductivity, which leading to the formation of Pt particles with a smaller size and enhance the Pt utilization rate. The structure and nature of resulting Pt/VACNTs/CFP catalysts for methanol oxidation are investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). With the aid of VACNTs, well-dispersed Pt catalysts enable the reversibly rapid redox kinetic since electron transport efficiently passes through a one-dimensional pathway, which leads to enhance the catalytic activity and Pt utilization rate. Compared with the Pt/XC-72/CFP electrode, the electrochemical measurements results display that the Pt/VACNTs/CFP catalyst shows much higher electrocatalytic activity and better stability for methanol oxidation. In addition, the oxidation current from 200 to 1200 s decayed more slowly for the Pt/VACNTs/CFP than that of the Pt/XC-72/CFP catalysts, indicating less accumulation of adsorbed CO species. All those results imply that the Pt/VACNTs/CFP has a great potential for applications in DMFCs.

The deterministic optical alignment of the HERMES spectrograph

Science.gov (United States)

Gers, Luke; Staszak, Nicholas

2014-07-01

The High Efficiency and Resolution Multi Element Spectrograph (HERMES) is a four channel, VPH-grating spectrograph fed by two 400 fiber slit assemblies whose construction and commissioning has now been completed at the Anglo Australian Telescope (AAT). The size, weight, complexity, and scheduling constraints of the system necessitated that a fully integrated, deterministic, opto-mechanical alignment system be designed into the spectrograph before it was manufactured. This paper presents the principles about which the system was assembled and aligned, including the equipment and the metrology methods employed to complete the spectrograph integration.

Carbon fiber on polyimide ultra-microelectrodes

Science.gov (United States)

Gillis, Winthrop F.; Lissandrello, Charles A.; Shen, Jun; Pearre, Ben W.; Mertiri, Alket; Deku, Felix; Cogan, Stuart; Holinski, Bradley J.; Chew, Daniel J.; White, Alice E.; Otchy, Timothy M.; Gardner, Timothy J.

2018-02-01

Objective. Most preparations for making neural recordings degrade over time and eventually fail due to insertion trauma and reactive tissue response. The magnitudes of these responses are thought to be related to the electrode size (specifically, the cross-sectional area), the relative stiffness of the electrode, and the degree of tissue tolerance for the material. Flexible carbon fiber ultra-microelectrodes have a much smaller cross-section than traditional electrodes and low tissue reactivity, and thus may enable improved longevity of neural recordings in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Only two carbon fiber array designs have been described previously, each with limited channel densities due to limitations of the fabrication processes or interconnect strategies. Here, we describe a method for assembling carbon fiber electrodes on a flexible polyimide substrate that is expected to facilitate the construction of high-density recording and stimulating arrays. Approach. Individual carbon fibers were aligned using an alignment tool that was 3D-printed with sub-micron resolution using direct laser writing. Indium deposition on the carbon fibers, followed by low-temperature microsoldering, provided a robust and reliable method of electrical connection to the polyimide interconnect. Main results. Spontaneous multiunit activity and stimulation-evoked compound responses with SNR  >10 and  >120, respectively, were recorded from a small (125 µm) peripheral nerve. We also improved the typically poor charge injection capacity of small diameter carbon fibers by electrodepositing 100 nm-thick iridium oxide films, making the carbon fiber arrays usable for electrical stimulation as well as recording. Significance. Our innovations in fabrication technique pave the way for further miniaturization of carbon fiber ultra-microelectrode arrays. We believe these advances to be key steps to enable a shift from labor intensive, manual assembly to a more automated

Stress-rupture lifetimes of organic fiber-epoxy strands and pressure vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hahn, H.T.; Chiu, I.L.; Gates, T.L.

1979-01-01

Long-term behavior of filament-wound pressure vessels were tested, Kevlar 49 epoxy strands were studied in stress-rupture for more than a year. Because the strands are the smallest structural unit in filament winding, their behavior directly controls the performance of vessels. Five different stress levels were studied: 86, 80, 74, 68, and 50% of the mean ultimate tensile strength (UTS). At each stress level, approximately one-hundred strands were hung in a room maintained at 22 to 24 0 C and below 20% relative humidity. Failure times were automatically recorded by a data acquisition system. Lifetimes were analyzed statistically using a two-parameter Weibull distribution. The maximum-likelihood method was used to estimate the parameters. The shape parameter, which is a measure of scatter and failure-rate change, increased with decreasing stress level. Less scatter and increasing failure rates were observed at lower stresses. There was no sign of an endurance limit down to 68% UTS. At 50% UTS no failure had yet occurred after 9000 h. The strand data were compared with data on lifetimes of pressure vessels wound with the same fiber and epoxy. The strands had slightly longer characteristic lifetimes, except at 86% UTS, and slightly less scatter, except at 68% UTS. The results of this study indicate that strands can provide valuable information about the long-term performance of filament-wound pressure vessels

Liquid crystal parameter analysis for tunable photonic bandgap fiber devices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Weirich, Johannes; Lægsgaard, Jesper; Wei, Lei

2010-01-01

We investigate the tunability of splay-aligned liquid crystals for the use in solid core photonic crystal fibers. Finite element simulations are used to obtain the alignment of the liquid crystals subject to an external electric field. By means of the liquid crystal director field the optical...

Electrospun Collagen/Silk Tissue Engineering Scaffolds: Fiber Fabrication, Post-Treatment Optimization, and Application in Neural Differentiation of Stem Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Bofan

Biocompatible scaffolds mimicking the locally aligned fibrous structure of native extracellular matrix (ECM) are in high demand in tissue engineering. In this thesis research, unidirectionally aligned fibers were generated via a home-built electrospinning system. Collagen type I, as a major ECM component, was chosen in this study due to its support of cell proliferation and promotion of neuroectodermal commitment in stem cell differentiation. Synthetic dragline silk proteins, as biopolymers with remarkable tensile strength and superior elasticity, were also used as a model material. Good alignment, controllable fiber size and morphology, as well as a desirable deposition density of fibers were achieved via the optimization of solution and electrospinning parameters. The incorporation of silk proteins into collagen was found to significantly enhance mechanical properties and stability of electrospun fibers. Glutaraldehyde (GA) vapor post-treatment was demonstrated as a simple and effective way to tune the properties of collagen/silk fibers without changing their chemical composition. With 6-12 hours GA treatment, electrospun collagen/silk fibers were not only biocompatible, but could also effectively induce the polarization and neural commitment of stem cells, which were optimized on collagen rich fibers due to the unique combination of biochemical and biophysical cues imposed to cells. Taken together, electrospun collagen rich composite fibers are mechanically strong, stable and provide excellent cell adhesion. The unidirectionally aligned fibers can accelerate neural differentiation of stem cells, representing a promising therapy for neural tissue degenerative diseases and nerve injuries.

A fiber optics sensor for strain and stress management in superconducting accelerator magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

van Oort, J.M.; ten Kate, H.H.J.

1993-01-01

A novel cryogenic interferometric fiber optics sensor for the measurement of strain and stress in the coil windings of superconducting accelerator magnets is described. The sensor can operate with two different readout sources, monochromatic laser light and white light respectively. The sensor head is built up as an extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer formed with two cleaved fiber surfaces, and can be mounted in several configurations. When read with laser light, the sensor is an extremely sensitive relative strain or temperature detector. When read with white light the absolute strain and pressure can be measured. Results are presented of tests in several configurations at 77 K and 4.2 K, both for the relative and absolute readout method. Finally, the possible use for quench localization using the temperature sensitivity is described

Stress distribution in a transversely loaded cross-shaped single fiber SCS-6/Ti-6Al-4V composite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Warrier, S.G.; Gundel, D.B.; Majumdar, B.S.; Miracle, D.B.

1996-01-01

In most structural applications utilizing fiber reinforced metal matrix composites (MMCs), the mechanical response normal to the fiber direction has to be considered. The transverse response is very sensitive to the interface bond strength, which has commonly been determined by testing straight-sided 90 degree specimens and interpreting debond initiation from the knee in the stress-strain curve as well as from a sudden drop in the Poisson's ratio. In an attempt to modify the debond initiation site to an internal location free of uncharacteristic states of stress, a cross-shaped specimen has been developed. Experiments conducted by Gundel et al. indicated that this geometry was successful in obtaining the appropriate crack initiation site. In the present study, finite element analysis (FEA) was done on the cross-shaped specimen to obtain the stress distribution in the composite under transverse loading, in an effort to corroborate the success of this geometry in determining the true transverse response of the composite

Preparation of Electrospun Polymer Fibers Using a Copper Wire Electrode in a Capillary Tube

Science.gov (United States)

Shinbo, Kazunari; Onozuka, Shintaro; Hoshino, Rikiya; Mizuno, Yoshinori; Ohdaira, Yasuo; Baba, Akira; Kato, Keizo; Kaneko, Futao

2010-04-01

Polymer fibers were prepared by an electrospinning method utilizing a copper wire electrode in a capillary tube. The morphology of electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) fibers was observed, and was found to be dependent on the wire electrode tip position in the capillary tube, the concentration of the polymer solution, the distance between the electrodes, and the applied voltage. By using the wire electrode, the experimental setup is simple and the distance between the electrodes and the applied voltage can be easily reduced. Furthermore, the preparation of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) fibers was carried out. P3HT fibers were successfully prepared by mixing poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) in P3HT solution. Orientation control was also carried out by depositing the fibers on a rotating collector electrode, and the alignment of the P3HT:PEO fibers was confirmed. Anisotropy of the optical absorption spectra was also observed for the aligned fibers.

Effective viscous flow properties for fiber suspensions under concentrated conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Christensen, R.M.

1993-01-01

The effective longitudinal and transverse shear viscosities are derived for an aligned fiber suspension. The solutions are valid under very concentrated conditions for a hexagonal arrangement of the single size fibers. The results compliment the classical dilute suspension forms at the other extreme of concentration. Empirical forms are constructed to cover the full range of volume fraction of the fiber phase. Also, single size spherical particle suspensions are given a similar treatment to that of the fiber case

Tensile strength of woven yarn kenaf fiber reinforced polyester composites

OpenAIRE

A.E. Ismail; M.A. Che Abdul Aziz

2015-01-01

This paper presents the tensile strength of woven kenaf fiber reinforced polyester composites. The as-received yarn kenaf fiber is weaved and then aligned into specific fiber orientations before it is hardened with polyester resin. The composite plates are shaped according to the standard geometry and uni-axially loaded in order to investigate the tensile responses. Two important parameters are studied such as fiber orientations and number of layers. According to the results, it is shown that...

Effects of Fiber Content on Mechanical Properties of CVD SiC Fiber-Reinforced Strontium Aluminosilicate Glass-Ceramic Composites

Science.gov (United States)

Bansal, Narottam P.

1996-01-01

Unidirectional CVD SiC(f)(SCS-6) fiber-reinforced strontium aluminosilicate (SAS) glass-ceramic matrix composites containing various volume fractions, approximately 16 to 40 volume %, of fibers were fabricated by hot pressing at 1400 C for 2 h under 27.6 MPa. Monoclinic celsian, SrAl2Si2O8, was the only crystalline phase formed, with complete absence of the undesired hexacelsian phase, in the matrix. Room temperature mechanical properties were measured in 3-point flexure. The matrix microcracking stress and the ultimate strength increased with increase in fiber volume fraction, reached maximum values for V(sub f) approximately equal to 0.35, and degraded at higher fiber loadings. This degradation in mechanical properties is related to the change in failure mode, from tensile at lower V(sub f) to interlaminar shear at higher fiber contents. The extent of fiber loading did not have noticeable effect on either fiber-matrix debonding stress, or frictional sliding stress at the interface. The applicability of micromechanical models in predicting the mechanical properties of the composites was also examined. The currently available theoretical models do not appear to be useful in predicting the values of the first matrix cracking stress, and the ultimate strength of the SCS-6/SAS composites.

An aligned porous electrospun fibrous membrane with controlled drug delivery - An efficient strategy to accelerate diabetic wound healing with improved angiogenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Ren, Xiaozhi; Han, Yiming; Wang, Jie; Jiang, Yuqi; Yi, Zhengfang; Xu, He; Ke, Qinfei

2018-04-01

A chronic wound in diabetic patients is usually characterized by poor angiogenesis and delayed wound closure. The exploration of efficient strategy to significantly improve angiogenesis in the diabetic wound bed and thereby accelerate wound healing is still a significant challenge. Herein, we reported a kind of aligned porous poly (l-lactic acid) (PlLA) electrospun fibrous membranes containing dimethyloxalylglycine (DMOG)-loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles (DS) for diabetic wound healing. The PlLA electrospun fibers aligned in a single direction and there were ellipse-shaped nano-pores in situ generated onto the surface of fibers, while the DS were well distributed in the fibers and the DMOG as well as Si ion could be controlled released from the nanopores on the fibers. The in vitro results revealed that the aligned porous composite membranes (DS-PL) could stimulate the proliferation, migration and angiogenesis-related gene expression of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) compared with the pure PlLA membranes. The in vivo study further demonstrated that the prepared DS-PL membranes significantly improved neo-vascularization, re-epithelialization and collagen formation as well as inhibited inflammatory reaction in the diabetic wound bed, which eventually stimulated the healing of the diabetic wound. Collectively, these results suggest that the combination of hierarchical structures (nanopores on the aligned fibers) with the controllable released DMOG drugs as well as Si ions from the membranes, which could create a synergetic effect on the rapid stimulation of angiogenesis in the diabetic wound bed, is a potential novel therapeutic strategy for highly efficient diabetic wound healing. A chronic wound in diabetic patients is usually characterized by the poor angiogenesis and the delayed wound closure. The main innovation of this study is to design a new kind of skin tissue engineered scaffold, aligned porous poly (l-lactic acid) (PlLA) electrospun

Three-dimensional finite element analysis of the stress distribution in the endodontically treated maxillary central incisor by glass fiber post and dentin post

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarfaraz Memon

2016-01-01

Conclusion: The FEA results showed that the stress in the cervical area of the dentin was more for fiber post when compared to dentin post, and maximum displacement values were less for dentin post in comparison to fiber post.

Role of Heat Shock Protein 70 in Induction of Stress Fiber Formation in Rat Arterial Endothelial Cells in Response to Stretch Stress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luo, Shan-Shun; Sugimoto, Keiji; Fujii, Sachiko; Takemasa, Tohru; Fu, Song-Bin; Yamashita, Kazuo

2007-01-01

We investigated the mechanism by which endothelial cells (ECs) resist various forms of physical stress using an experimental system consisting of rat arterial EC sheets. Formation of actin stress fibers (SFs) and expression of endothelial heat-shock stress proteins (HSPs) in response to mechanical stretch stress were assessed by immunofluorescence microscopy. Stretch stimulation increased expression of HSPs 25 and 70, but not that of HSP 90. Treatment with SB203580, a p38 MAP kinase inhibitor that acts upstream of the HSP 25 activation cascade, or with geldanamycin, an inhibitor of HSP 90, had no effect on the SF formation response to mechanical stretch stress. In contrast, treatment with quercetin, an HSP 70 inhibitor, inhibited both upregulation of endothelial HSP 70 and formation of SFs in response to tensile stress. In addition, treatment of stretched ECs with cytochalasin D, which disrupts SF formation, did not adversely affect stretch-induced upregulation of endothelial HSP 70. Our data suggest that endothelial HSP 70 plays an important role in inducing SF formation in response to tensile stress

Opto-mechanical devices for the Antares automatic beam alignment system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swann, T.; Combs, C.; Witt, J.

1981-01-01

Antares is a 24-beam CO 2 laser system for controlled fusion research, under construction at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Rapid automatic alignment of this system is required prior to each experimental shot. Unique opto-mechanical alignment devices, which have been developed specifically for this automatic alignment system, are discussed. A variable focus alignment telescope views point light sources. A beam expander/spatial filter processes both a visible Krypton Ion and a 10.6 μm CO 2 alignment laser. The periscope/carousel device provides the means by which the alignment telescope can sequentially view each of twelve optical trains in each power amplifier. The polyhedron alignment device projects a point-light source for both centering and pointing alignment at the polyhedron mirror. The rotating wedge alignment device provides a sequencing point-light source and also compensates for dispersion between visible and 10.6 μm radiation. The back reflector flip in remotely positions point-light sources at the back reflector mirrors. A light source box illuminates optic fibers with high intensity white light which is distributed to the various point-light sources in the system

Stress wave propagation in thin long-fiber carbon/epoxy composite panel. Numerical and experimental solutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kroupa T.

2007-10-01

Full Text Available The article deals with experimental and numerical analysis of stress wave propagation in a thin long fiber carbon/epoxy composite material. Experiments were performed on in-plane loaded square composite panels with dimensions 501mm x 501mm x 2:2 mm. The panels have several fiber orientations (0°, 30°, 60° and 90° measured from the loaded edge. They were loaded by in-plane impact of steel sphere. The impact area was on the edge, exactly 150mm from top left corners corner of the panels. The loading force was approximated by atime dependent function. Its shape was obtained from three dimensional contact analysis, which was performed on smaller area of panel. The function was used in further plane stress analysis of the whole panels. The comparison of the numerical and experimental results was executed. An attempt at determination of velocity of propagation of Rayleigh waves on the loaded edge was performed and the results are discussed in the paper. Further directions of the research are proposed.

Visible high power fiber coupled diode lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Köhler, Bernd; Drovs, Simon; Stoiber, Michael; Dürsch, Sascha; Kissel, Heiko; Könning, Tobias; Biesenbach, Jens; König, Harald; Lell, Alfred; Stojetz, Bernhard; Löffler, Andreas; Strauß, Uwe

2018-02-01

In this paper we report on further development of fiber coupled high-power diode lasers in the visible spectral range. New visible laser modules presented in this paper include the use of multi single emitter arrays @ 450 nm leading to a 120 W fiber coupled unit with a beam quality of 44 mm x mrad, as well as very compact modules with multi-W output power from 405 nm to 640 nm. However, as these lasers are based on single emitters, power scaling quickly leads to bulky laser units with a lot of optical components to be aligned. We also report on a new approach based on 450 nm diode laser bars, which dramatically reduces size and alignment effort. These activities were performed within the German government-funded project "BlauLas": a maximum output power of 80 W per bar has been demonstrated @ 450 nm. We show results of a 200 μm NA0.22 fiber coupled 35 W source @ 450 nm, which has been reduced in size by a factor of 25 compared to standard single emitter approach. In addition, we will present a 200 μm NA0.22 fiber coupled laser unit with an output power of 135 W.

Simulative Global Warming Negatively Affects Cotton Fiber Length through Shortening Fiber Rapid Elongation Duration.

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Yanjiao; Yang, Jiashuo; Hu, Wei; Zahoor, Rizwan; Chen, Binglin; Zhao, Wenqing; Meng, Yali; Zhou, Zhiguo

2017-08-23

Global warming could possibly increase the air temperature by 1.8-4.0 °C in the coming decade. Cotton fiber is an essential raw material for the textile industry. Fiber length, which was found negatively related to the excessively high temperature, determines yarn quality to a great extent. To investigate the effects of global warming on cotton fiber length and its mechaism, cottons grown in artificially elevated temperature (34.6/30.5 °C, T day /T night ) and ambient temperature (31.6/27.3 °C) regions have been investigated. Becaused of the high sensitivities of enzymes V-ATPase, PEPC, and genes GhXTH1 and GhXTH2 during fiber elongation when responding to high temperature stress, the fiber rapid elongation duration (FRED) has been shortened, which led to a significant suppression on final fiber length. Through comprehensive analysis, T night had a great influence on fiber elongation, which means T n could be deemed as an ideal index for forecasting the degree of high temperature stress would happen to cotton fiber property in future. Therefore, we speculate the global warming would bring unfavorable effects on cotton fiber length, which needs to take actions in advance for minimizing the loss in cotton production.

Intrinsic Cell Stress is Independent of Organization in Engineered Cell Sheets.

Science.gov (United States)

van Loosdregt, Inge A E W; Dekker, Sylvia; Alford, Patrick W; Oomens, Cees W J; Loerakker, Sandra; Bouten, Carlijn V C

2018-06-01

Understanding cell contractility is of fundamental importance for cardiovascular tissue engineering, due to its major impact on the tissue's mechanical properties as well as the development of permanent dimensional changes, e.g., by contraction or dilatation of the tissue. Previous attempts to quantify contractile cellular stresses mostly used strongly aligned monolayers of cells, which might not represent the actual organization in engineered cardiovascular tissues such as heart valves. In the present study, therefore, we investigated whether differences in organization affect the magnitude of intrinsic stress generated by individual myofibroblasts, a frequently used cell source for in vitro engineered heart valves. Four different monolayer organizations were created via micro-contact printing of fibronectin lines on thin PDMS films, ranging from strongly anisotropic to isotropic. Thin film curvature, cell density, and actin stress fiber distribution were quantified, and subsequently, intrinsic stress and contractility of the monolayers were determined by incorporating these data into sample-specific finite element models. Our data indicate that the intrinsic stress exerted by the monolayers in each group correlates with cell density. Additionally, after normalizing for cell density and accounting for differences in alignment, no consistent differences in intrinsic contractility were found between the different monolayer organizations, suggesting that the intrinsic stress exerted by individual myofibroblasts is independent of the organization. Consequently, this study emphasizes the importance of choosing proper architectural properties for scaffolds in cardiovascular tissue engineering, as these directly affect the stresses in the tissue, which play a crucial role in both the functionality and remodeling of (engineered) cardiovascular tissues.

Permanent bending and alignment of ZnO nanowires

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Borschel, Christian; Spindler, Susann; Oertel, Michael; Ronning, Carsten [Institut fuer Festkoerperphysik, Friedrich-Schiller-Universitaet Jena, Max-Wien-Platz 1, 07743 Jena (Germany); Lerose, Damiana [MPI fuer Mikrostrukturphysik, Weinberg 2, 06120 Halle/Saale (Germany); Institut fuer Photonische Technologien, Albert-Einstein-Strasse 9, 07745 Jena (Germany); Bochmann, Arne [Institut fuer Photonische Technologien, Albert-Einstein-Strasse 9, 07745 Jena (Germany); Christiansen, Silke H. [Institut fuer Photonische Technologien, Albert-Einstein-Strasse 9, 07745 Jena (Germany); MPI fuer die Physik des Lichts, Guenther-Scharowsky-Str. 1, 91058 Erlangen (Germany); Nietzsche, Sandor [Zentrum fuer Elektronenmikroskopie, Friedrich-Schiller-Universitaet Jena, Ziegelmuehlenweg 1, 07743 Jena (Germany)

2011-07-01

Ion beams can be used to bend or re-align nanowires permanently, after they have been grown. We have irradiated ZnO nanowires with ions of different species and energy, achieving bending and alignment in various directions. We study the bending of single nanowires as well as the simultaneous alignment of large ensembles of ZnO nanowires in detail. Computer simulations show that the bending is initiated by ion beam induced damage. Dislocations are identified to relax stresses and make the bending and alignment permanent and resistant against annealing procedures.

Chain Ends and the Ultimate Tensile Strength of Polyethylene Fibers

Science.gov (United States)

O'Connor, Thomas C.; Robbins, Mark O.

Determining the tensile yield mechanisms of oriented polymer fibers remains a challenging problem in polymer mechanics. By maximizing the alignment and crystallinity of polyethylene (PE) fibers, tensile strengths σ ~ 6 - 7 GPa have been achieved. While impressive, first-principal calculations predict carbon backbone bonds would allow strengths four times higher (σ ~ 20 GPa) before breaking. The reduction in strength is caused by crystal defects like chain ends, which allow fibers to yield by chain slip in addition to bond breaking. We use large scale molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to determine the tensile yield mechanism of orthorhombic PE crystals with finite chains spanning 102 -104 carbons in length. The yield stress σy saturates for long chains at ~ 6 . 3 GPa, agreeing well with experiments. Chains do not break but always yield by slip, after nucleation of 1D dislocations at chain ends. Dislocations are accurately described by a Frenkel-Kontorova model, parametrized by the mechanical properties of an ideal crystal. We compute a dislocation core size ξ = 25 . 24 Å and determine the high and low strain rate limits of σy. Our results suggest characterizing such 1D dislocations is an efficient method for predicting fiber strength. This research was performed within the Center for Materials in Extreme Dynamic Environments (CMEDE) under the Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Financial support was provided by Grant W911NF-12-2-0022.

The mechanical properties of dry, electrospun fibrinogen fibers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baker, Stephen; Sigley, Justin; Helms, Christine C. [Department of Physics, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109 (United States); Stitzel, Joel [Department of Biomedical Engineering, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, 27157 (United States); Berry, Joel; Bonin, Keith [Department of Physics, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109 (United States); Guthold, Martin, E-mail: gutholdm@wfu.edu [Department of Physics, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109 (United States)

2012-02-01

Due to their low immunogenicity, biodegradability and native cell-binding domains, fibrinogen fibers may be good candidates for tissue engineering scaffolds, drug delivery vehicles and other medical devices. We used a combined atomic force microscope (AFM)/optical microscope technique to study the mechanical properties of individual, electrospun fibrinogen fibers in dry, ambient conditions. The AFM was used to stretch individual fibers suspended over 13.5 {mu}m wide grooves in a transparent substrate. The optical microscope, located below the sample, was used to monitor the stretching process. Electrospun fibrinogen fibers (diameter, 30-200 nm) can stretch to 74% beyond their original length before rupturing at a stress of 2.1 GPa. They can stretch elastically up to 15% beyond their original length. Using incremental stress-strain curves the viscoelastic behavior of these fibers was determined. The total stretch modulus was 4.2 GPa while the relaxed elastic modulus was 3.7 GPa. When held at constant strain, fibrinogen fibers display stress relaxation with a fast and slow relaxation time of 1.2 s and 11 s. In comparison to native and electrospun collagen fibers, dry electrospun fibrinogen fibers are significantly more extensible and elastic. In comparison to wet electrospun fibrinogen fibers, dry fibers are about 1000 times stiffer. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Fabricated dry, electrospun, fibrinogen fibers; average diameter, D{sub avg.} = 95 nm. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Determined mechanical properties with combined atomic force/optical microscope. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Fibers are very extensible ({epsilon}{sub max} = 74%) and elastic ({epsilon}{sub elastic} = 15%). Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Fiber total modulus, E{sub tot.} = 4.2 GPa; elastic modulus, E{sub el.} = 3.7 GPa. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Fiber stress relaxation times: {tau}{sub 1} = 1.2 s and {tau}{sub 2} = 11 s.

Plasma treatment of fiber facets for increased (de)mating endurance in physical contact fiber connectors

Science.gov (United States)

Van Erps, Jürgen; Voss, Kevin; De Witte, Martijn; Radulescu, Radu; Beri, Stefano; Watté, Jan; Thienpont, Hugo

2016-04-01

It is known that cleaving an optical fiber introduces a number of irregularities and defects to the fiber's end-face, such as hackles and shockwaves. These defects can act as failure initiators when stress is applied to the end-face. Given the fiber's small diameter of 125 ffm, a large amount of mechanical stress can be expected to be applied on its end-face during the mating-demating cycle. In addition, a connector in a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network can be expected to be mated and demated more than 30 times during its lifetime for purposes such as testing, churning, or provisioning. For this reason, the performance of a connector that displays low optical loss when first installed can dramatically degrade after few mating-demating cycles and catastrophic connector failure due to end-face breakage is likely. We present plasma discharge shaping of cleaved fiber tips to strongly improve the endurance of the fibers to repeated mating-demating cycles. We quantify the dependency of the plasma-induced surface curvature of the fiber tip on the plasma duration and on the position of the fiber tip within the plasma cloud. Finally we present data showing the improved endurance of fibers that are exposed to plasma compared to conventional as-cleaved fibers.

Experimental research on continuous basalt fiber and basalt-fibers-reinforced polymers

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xueyi; Zou, Guangping; Shen, Zhiqiang

2008-11-01

The interest for continuous basalt fibers and reinforced polymers has recently grown because of its low price and rich natural resource. Basalt fiber was one type of high performance inorganic fibers which were made from natural basalt by the method of melt extraction. This paper discusses basic mechanical properties of basalt fiber. The other work in this paper was to conduct tensile testing of continuous basalt fiber-reinforced polymer rod. Tensile strength and stress-strain curve were obtained in this testing. The strength of rod was fairly equal to rod of E-glass fibers and weaker than rod of carbon fibers. Surface of crack of rod was studied. An investigation of fracture mechanism between matrix and fiber was analyzed by SEM (Scanning electron microscopy) method. A poor adhesion between the matrix and fibers was also shown for composites analyzing SEM photos. The promising tensile properties of the presented basalt fibers composites have shown their great potential as alternative classical composites.

Realization of fiber optic displacement sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Guzowski, Bartlomiej; Lakomski, Mateusz

2018-03-01

Fiber optic sensors are very promising because of their inherent advantages such as very small size, hard environment tolerance and impact of electromagnetic fields. In this paper three different types of Intensity Fiber Optic Displacement Sensors (I-FODS) are presented. Three configurations of I-FODS were realized in two varieties. In the first one, the cleaved multimode optical fibers (MMF) were used to collect reflected light, while in the second variety the MMF ended with ball lenses were chosen. To ensure an accurate alignment of optical fibers in the sensor head the MTP C9730 optical fiber ferrules were used. In this paper the influence of distribution of transmitting and detecting optical fibers on sensitivity and linear range of operation of developed I-FODS were investigated. We have shown, that I-FODS with ball lenses receive average 10.5% more reflected power in comparison to the cleaved optical fibers and they increase linearity range of I-FODS by 33%. In this paper, an analysis of each type of the realized sensor and detailed discussion are given.

Aligned and random nanofibrous nanocomposite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amir Doustgani

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract  Aligned and random nanocomposite nanofibrous scaffolds were electrospun from polycaprolactone (PCL, poly (vinyl alcohol (PVA and hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (nHA. The morphology and mechanical characteristics of the nanofibers were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy and tensile testing, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy revealed fibers with an average diameter of 123 ± 32 nm and 339 ± 107 nm for aligned and random nanofibers, respectively. The mechanical data indicated the higher tensile strength and elastic modulus of aligned nanofibers. The in vitro biocompatibility of aligned and random nanofibrous scaffolds was also assessed by growing mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs, and investigating the proliferation and alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP on different nanofibrous scaffolds. Our  findings  showed  that  the  alignment  orientation  of  nanofibers  enhanced  the osteogenic differentiation of stem cells. The in vitro results showed that the aligned biocomposite nanofibrous scaffolds of PCL/nHA/PVA could be a potential substrate for tissue engineering applications, especially in the field of artificial bone implant.

Computational model of spalling and effective fibers on toughening in fiber reinforced composites at an early stage of crack formation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chong Wang

Full Text Available This work suggests a computational model that takes account of effective fibers on toughening in FRC at an early stage of crack formation. We derived the distribution of pressure provoked by a random inclined fiber in the matrix and calculated stresses through integrating the pressure and tangent stress along the fiber/matrix interface with the Kelvin's fundamental solution and the Mindlin's complementary solution. The evolution of spalling in the matrix was traced. The percentages of effective fibers were evaluated with variations in strength, interface resistance, diameter and elasticity modulus. The main conclusion is that low elasticity modulus combined high strength of fibers raises dramatically the effective fibers, which would benefit toughening.

Line roughness improvements on self-aligned quadruple patterning by wafer stress engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Eric; Ko, Akiteru; Biolsi, Peter; Chae, Soo Doo; Hsieh, Chia-Yun; Kagaya, Munehito; Lee, Choongman; Moriya, Tsuyoshi; Tsujikawa, Shimpei; Suzuki, Yusuke; Okubo, Kazuya; Imai, Kiyotaka

2018-04-01

In integrated circuit and memory devices, size shrinkage has been the most effective method to reduce production cost and enable the steady increment of the number of transistors per unit area over the past few decades. In order to reduce the die size and feature size, it is necessary to minimize pattern formation in the advance node development. In the node of sub-10nm, extreme ultra violet lithography (EUV) and multi-patterning solutions based on 193nm immersionlithography are the two most common options to achieve the size requirement. In such small features of line and space pattern, line width roughness (LWR) and line edge roughness (LER) contribute significant amount of process variation that impacts both physical and electrical performances. In this paper, we focus on optimizing the line roughness performance by using wafer stress engineering on 30nm pitch line and space pattern. This pattern is generated by a self-aligned quadruple patterning (SAQP) technique for the potential application of fin formation. Our investigation starts by comparing film materials and stress levels in various processing steps and material selection on SAQP integration scheme. From the cross-matrix comparison, we are able to determine the best stack of film selection and stress combination in order to achieve the lowest line roughness performance while obtaining pattern validity after fin etch. This stack is also used to study the step-by-step line roughness performance from SAQP to fin etch. Finally, we will show a successful patterning of 30nm pitch line and space pattern SAQP scheme with 1nm line roughness performance.

A multi-scale investigation of the mechanical behavior of durable sisal fiber cement composites

OpenAIRE

Silva, Flávio de Andrade; Toledo Filho, Romildo D.; Mobasher, Barzin; Chawla, Nikhilesh

2010-01-01

Durable sisal fiber cement composites reinforced with long unidirectional aligned fibers were developed and their mechanical behavior was characterized in a multi-scale level. Tensile tests were performed in individual sisal fibers. Weibull statistics were used to quantify the degree of variability in fiber strength at different gage lengths. The fiber-matrix pull-out behavior was evaluated at several curing ages and embedded lengths. The composite's mechanical response was measured under dir...

Homogenization of aligned “fuzzy fiber” composites

KAUST Repository

Chatzigeorgiou, George

2011-09-01

The aim of this work is to study composites in which carbon fibers coated with radially aligned carbon nanotubes are embedded in a matrix. The effective properties of these composites are identified using the asymptotic expansion homogenization method in two steps. Homogenization is performed in different coordinate systems, the cylindrical and the Cartesian, and a numerical example are presented. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Method for Forming Fiber Reinforced Composite Bodies with Graded Composition and Stress Zones

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Mrityunjay (Inventor); Levine, Stanley R. (Inventor); Smialek, James A. (Inventor)

1999-01-01

A near-net, complex shaped ceramic fiber reinforced silicon carbide based composite bodies with graded compositions and stress zones is disclosed. To provide the composite a fiber preform is first fabricated and an interphase is applied by chemical vapor infiltration, sol-gel or polymer processes. This first body is further infiltrated with a polymer mixture containing carbon, and/or silicon carbide, and additional oxide, carbide, or nitride phases forming a second body. One side of the second body is spray coated or infiltrated with slurries containing high thermal expansion and oxidation resistant. crack sealant phases and the other side of this second body is coated with low expansion phase materials to form a third body. This third body consisting of porous carbonaceous matrix surrounding the previously applied interphase materials, is then infiltrated with molten silicon or molten silicon-refractory metal alloys to form a fourth body. The resulting fourth body comprises dense composites consisting of fibers with the desired interphase which are surrounded by silicon carbide and other second phases materials at the outer and inner surfaces comprising material of silicon, germanium, refractory metal suicides, borides, carbides, oxides, and combinations thereof The resulting composite fourth body has different compositional patterns from one side to the other.

Novel electric double-layer capacitor with a coaxial fiber structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xuli; Qiu, Longbin; Ren, Jing; Guan, Guozhen; Lin, Huijuan; Zhang, Zhitao; Chen, Peining; Wang, Yonggang; Peng, Huisheng

2013-11-26

A coaxial electric double-layer capacitor fiber is developed from the aligned carbon nanotube fiber and sheet, which functions as two electrodes with a polymer gel sandwiched between them. The unique coaxial structure enables a rapid transportation of ions between the two electrodes with a high electrochemical performance. These energy storage fibers are also flexible and stretchable, and can be woven into and widely used for electronic textiles. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The Effect of Wood Alignment on Wood Grinding – Part 1: Properties of Pulp and Fines Revealed in the Grinding Mechanism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erkki Tapani Saharinen

2016-03-01

Full Text Available In industrial wood grinding, logs are pressed against a rotating stone, with the logs and fiber axis parallel to the axis of the stone. The objective of this study is to clarify how the wood alignment affects the process and pulp properties. In this research, wood blocks were fed into a laboratory grinder with various alignments in relation to the surface of the grinding stone. The effects of the alignment on the properties of the pulp and the amount and quality of fines were measured. A grinding mechanism was proposed. The results show that the pulp quality is very sensitive to the angle between the stone surface and the log. In gentle refining, the fiber structure is loosened by fatigue before it is bent on the surface; pressure pulses produce fibrillar material, and fibers develop toward having good bonding ability. In forced grinding, the process is “violent”, and the fiber wears and becomes crushed immediately on the surface into small particles with low bonding ability.

Fabrication of Microscale Carbon Nanotube Fibers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gengzhi Sun

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Carbon nanotubes (CNTs have excellent mechanical, chemical, and electronic properties, but realizing these excellences in practical applications needs to assemble individual CNTs into larger-scale products. Recently, CNT fibers demonstrate the potential of retaining CNT's superior properties at macroscale level. High-performance CNT fibers have been widely obtained by several fabrication approaches. Here in this paper, we review several key spinning techniques including surfactant-based coagulation spinning, liquid-crystal-based solution spinning, spinning from vertical-aligned CNT arrays, and spinning from CNT aerogel. The method, principle, limitations, and recent progress of each technique have been addressed, and the fiber properties and their dependences on spinning parameters are also discussed.

Fiber-Based, Injection-Molded Optofluidic Systems: Improvements in Assembly and Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco Matteucci

2015-12-01

Full Text Available We present a method to fabricate polymer optofluidic systems by means of injection molding that allow the insertion of standard optical fibers. The chip fabrication and assembly methods produce large numbers of robust optofluidic systems that can be easily assembled and disposed of, yet allow precise optical alignment and improve delivery of optical power. Using a multi-level chip fabrication process, complex channel designs with extremely vertical sidewalls, and dimensions that range from few tens of nanometers to hundreds of microns can be obtained. The technology has been used to align optical fibers in a quick and precise manner, with a lateral alignment accuracy of 2.7 ± 1.8 μm. We report the production, assembly methods, and the characterization of the resulting injection-molded chips for Lab-on-Chip (LoC applications. We demonstrate the versatility of this technology by carrying out two types of experiments that benefit from the improved optical system: optical stretching of red blood cells (RBCs and Raman spectroscopy of a solution loaded into a hollow core fiber. The advantages offered by the presented technology are intended to encourage the use of LoC technology for commercialization and educational purposes.

Influence of carbon nanotube (CNT) on the mechanical properties of LLDPE/CNT nanocomposite fibers

KAUST Repository

Mezghani, Khaled; Farooqui, Muhammad Fahad; Furquan, Sarfaraz; Ali, Muhammad

2011-01-01

The present study shows the effect of adding CNT to linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) to produce LLDPE/CNT nanocomposite fibers. The LLDPE/CNT fibers were produced by melt extrusion process using a twin-screw extruder, in a controlled temperature from 160 °C to 275 °C. Further, melt extrusion process was followed by drawing of fibers at the room temperature. Three different weight percentages, 0.08, 0.3 and 1 wt.% of CNT were studied for producing nanocomposite fibers. The addition of 1 wt.% CNT in the LLDPE fiber has increased the tensile strength by 38% (350 MPa). The addition of 0.08 and 0.3 wt.% CNT in the fiber matrix has improved the ductility by 87% and 122%, respectively. Similarly, improvement in the toughness was observed by 63% and 105% for LLDPE fibers with 0.08 wt.% and 0.3 wt.% CNT respectively. The increase in the mechanical properties of the composite fibers was attributed to the alignment and distribution of CNT in the LLDPE matrix. The dispersion of CNT in the polymeric matrix has been revealed by SEM. The study shows that the small addition of CNT when properly mixed and aligned will increase the mechanical properties of pristine polymer fibers. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Influence of carbon nanotube (CNT) on the mechanical properties of LLDPE/CNT nanocomposite fibers

KAUST Repository

Mezghani, Khaled

2011-12-01

The present study shows the effect of adding CNT to linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) to produce LLDPE/CNT nanocomposite fibers. The LLDPE/CNT fibers were produced by melt extrusion process using a twin-screw extruder, in a controlled temperature from 160 °C to 275 °C. Further, melt extrusion process was followed by drawing of fibers at the room temperature. Three different weight percentages, 0.08, 0.3 and 1 wt.% of CNT were studied for producing nanocomposite fibers. The addition of 1 wt.% CNT in the LLDPE fiber has increased the tensile strength by 38% (350 MPa). The addition of 0.08 and 0.3 wt.% CNT in the fiber matrix has improved the ductility by 87% and 122%, respectively. Similarly, improvement in the toughness was observed by 63% and 105% for LLDPE fibers with 0.08 wt.% and 0.3 wt.% CNT respectively. The increase in the mechanical properties of the composite fibers was attributed to the alignment and distribution of CNT in the LLDPE matrix. The dispersion of CNT in the polymeric matrix has been revealed by SEM. The study shows that the small addition of CNT when properly mixed and aligned will increase the mechanical properties of pristine polymer fibers. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Guiding the orientation of smooth muscle cells on random and aligned polyurethane/collagen nanofibers.

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Lin; Prabhakaran, Molamma P; Qin, Xiaohong; Ramakrishna, Seeram

2014-09-01

Fabricating scaffolds that can simulate the architecture and functionality of native extracellular matrix is a huge challenge in vascular tissue engineering. Various kinds of materials are engineered via nano-technological approaches to meet the current challenges in vascular tissue regeneration. During this study, nanofibers from pure polyurethane and hybrid polyurethane/collagen in two different morphologies (random and aligned) and in three different ratios of polyurethane:collagen (75:25; 50:50; 25:75) are fabricated by electrospinning. The fiber diameters of the nanofibrous scaffolds are in the range of 174-453 nm and 145-419 for random and aligned fibers, respectively, where they closely mimic the nanoscale dimensions of native extracellular matrix. The aligned polyurethane/collagen nanofibers expressed anisotropic wettability with mechanical properties which is suitable for regeneration of the artery. After 12 days of human aortic smooth muscle cells culture on different scaffolds, the proliferation of smooth muscle cells on hybrid polyurethane/collagen (3:1) nanofibers was 173% and 212% higher than on pure polyurethane scaffolds for random and aligned scaffolds, respectively. The results of cell morphology and protein staining showed that the aligned polyurethane/collagen (3:1) scaffold promote smooth muscle cells alignment through contact guidance, while the random polyurethane/collagen (3:1) also guided cell orientation most probably due to the inherent biochemical composition. Our studies demonstrate the potential of aligned and random polyurethane/collagen (3:1) as promising substrates for vascular tissue regeneration. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Thermal conductivity of high performance carbon nanotube yarn-like fibers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mayhew, Eric; Prakash, Vikas, E-mail: vikas.prakash@case.edu [Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106-7222 (United States)

2014-05-07

In the present paper, we present results of thermal conductivity measurements in free standing carbon nanotube (CNT) yarn-like fibers. The measurements are made using a T-type experimental configuration utilizing a Wollaston-wire hot probe inside a scanning electron microscope. In this technique, a suspended platinum wire is used both as a heater and a thermal sensor. A low frequency alternating current source is used to heat the probe wire while the third harmonic voltage across the wire is measured by a lock-in amplifier. The conductivity is deduced from an analytical model that relates the drop in the spatially averaged temperature of the wire to that of the sample. The average thermal conductivity of the neat CNT fibers and the CNT –polymer composite fibers is found to be 448 W/m-K and 225 W/m-K, respectively. These values for conductivity are amongst the highest measured for CNT yarn-like fibers fabricated using a dry spinning process from vertically aligned CNT arrays. The enhancement in thermal conductivity is understood to be due to an increase in the CNT fiber elastic stiffness during the draw and twist operations, lower CNT thermal contact resistance due to increase in CNT contact area, and better alignment of the CNT fibrils along the length of the fiber.

Three dimensional extrusion printing induces polymer molecule alignment and cell organization within engineered cartilage.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Ting; Ringel, Julia P; Lim, Casey G; Bracaglia, Laura G; Noshin, Maeesha; Baker, Hannah B; Powell, Douglas A; Fisher, John P

2018-04-16

Proper cell-material interactions are critical to remain cell function and thus successful tissue regeneration. Many fabrication processes have been developed to create microenvironments to control cell attachment and organization on a three-dimensional (3D) scaffold. However, these approaches often involve heavy engineering and only the surface layer can be patterned. We found that 3D extrusion based printing at high temperature and pressure will result an aligned effect on the polymer molecules, and this molecular arrangement will further induce the cell alignment and different differentiation capacities. In particular, articular cartilage tissue is known to have zonal collagen fiber and cell orientation to support different functions, where collagen fibers and chondrocytes align parallel, randomly, and perpendicular, respectively, to the surface of the joint. Therefore, cell alignment was evaluated in a cartilage model in this study. We used small angle X-ray scattering analysis to substantiate the polymer molecule alignment phenomenon. The cellular response was evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. Seeded mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) showed different morphology and orientation on scaffolds, as a combined result of polymer molecule alignment and printed scaffold patterns. Gene expression results showed improved superficial zonal chondrogenic marker expression in parallel-aligned group. The cell alignment was successfully maintained in the animal model after 7 days with distinct MSC morphology between the casted and parallel printed scaffolds. This 3D printing induced polymer and cell alignment will have a significant impact on developing scaffold with controlled cell-material interactions for complex tissue engineering while avoiding complicated surface treatment, and therefore provides new concept for effective tissue repairing in future clinical applications. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

BRAGG GRATINGS MULTIPUSLE INSCRIPTION EFFICIENCY DEPENDENCE ON ANGULAR POSITION OF ELLIPTICAL STRESS CLADDING IN BIREFRINGENT OPTICAL FIBERS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergey V. Arkhipov

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Subject of Research.The paper deals with mutlipulse inscription comparative results of the type IBragg gratings in the birefringent optical fiber with elliptical stress cladding and increased GeO2 concentration at different birefringence axes positions. Method. The gratings were inscribed by the phase mask method. The excimer laser Coherent COMPexPro 102F, working with the gas mixture KrF (248 nm, was used as the radiation source. The phase mask Ibsen Photonics with a period of1065.3 nm was used. Main Results.The results have shown that the multipusle inscription is more effective and has better dynamics when the plane containing the fiber axis and its slow birefringence axis is parallel to the writing radiation incidence plane containing the fiber axis. Practical Relevance. The research results give the possibility to make recommendations for the multipulse Bragg gratings inscription efficiency enhancement in the specialty birefringent fibers. The preinscription positioning of birefringence axes also makes it possible to reduce the polarization fading that is the noise source in phase interferometric sensors.

Nanowire modified carbon fibers for enhanced electrical energy storage

Science.gov (United States)

Shuvo, Mohammad Arif Ishtiaque; (Bill) Tseng, Tzu-Liang; Ashiqur Rahaman Khan, Md.; Karim, Hasanul; Morton, Philip; Delfin, Diego; Lin, Yirong

2013-09-01

The study of electrochemical super-capacitors has become one of the most attractive topics in both academia and industry as energy storage devices because of their high power density, long life cycles, and high charge/discharge efficiency. Recently, there has been increasing interest in the development of multifunctional structural energy storage devices such as structural super-capacitors for applications in aerospace, automobiles, and portable electronics. These multifunctional structural super-capacitors provide structures combining energy storage and load bearing functionalities, leading to material systems with reduced volume and/or weight. Due to their superior materials properties, carbon fiber composites have been widely used in structural applications for aerospace and automotive industries. Besides, carbon fiber has good electrical conductivity which will provide lower equivalent series resistance; therefore, it can be an excellent candidate for structural energy storage applications. Hence, this paper is focused on performing a pilot study for using nanowire/carbon fiber hybrids as building materials for structural energy storage materials; aiming at enhancing the charge/discharge rate and energy density. This hybrid material combines the high specific surface area of carbon fiber and pseudo-capacitive effect of metal oxide nanowires, which were grown hydrothermally in an aligned fashion on carbon fibers. The aligned nanowire array could provide a higher specific surface area that leads to high electrode-electrolyte contact area thus fast ion diffusion rates. Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-Ray Diffraction measurements are used for the initial characterization of this nanowire/carbon fiber hybrid material system. Electrochemical testing is performed using a potentio-galvanostat. The results show that gold sputtered nanowire carbon fiber hybrid provides 65.9% higher energy density than bare carbon fiber cloth as super-capacitor.

Dye-sensitized solar cells with vertically aligned TiO2 nanowire arrays grown on carbon fibers.

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Xin; Wu, Hongwei; Hou, Shaocong; Peng, Ming; Yu, Xiao; Zou, Dechun

2014-02-01

One-dimensional semiconductor TiO2 nanowires (TNWs) have received widespread attention from solar cell and related optoelectronics scientists. The controllable synthesis of ordered TNW arrays on arbitrary substrates would benefit both fundamental research and practical applications. Herein, vertically aligned TNW arrays in situ grown on carbon fiber (CF) substrates through a facile, controllable, and seed-assisted thermal process is presented. Also, hierarchical TiO2 -nanoparticle/TNW arrays were prepared that favor both the dye loading and depressed charge recombination of the CF/TNW photoanode. An impressive conversion efficiency of 2.48 % (under air mass 1.5 global illumination) and an apparent efficiency of 4.18 % (with a diffuse board) due to the 3D light harvesting of the wire solar cell were achieved. Moreover, efficient and inexpensive wire solar cells made from all-CF electrodes and completely flexible CF-based wire solar cells were demonstrated, taking into account actual application requirements. This work may provide an intriguing avenue for the pursuit of lightweight, cost-effective, and high-performance flexible/wearable solar cells. Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Fiber MOPA based tunable source for terahertz spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malinowski, A; Lin, D; Alam, S U; Zhang, Z; Ibsen, M; Richardson, D J; Young, J; Wright, P; Ozanyan, K; Stringer, M; Miles, R E

2012-01-01

We have developed a terahertz spectrometer based on difference frequency generation of beams from an ytterbium fiber master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system. The spectrometer has a resolution of ∼ 2 GHz. It can be tuned rapidly over several hundred GHz, and a wider frequency range can be covered (0.7–2.5 THz demonstrated) by swapping in alternate seed lasers and adjusting the alignment of the beams into the difference frequency generation (DFG) crystal. The system was constructed entirely from commercially available fiber and fiber components. We present some demonstration data on water vapor absorption lines

Fiber link design for the NASA-NSF extreme precision Doppler spectrograph concept "WISDOM"

Science.gov (United States)

Fżrész, Gábor; Pawluczyk, Rafal; Fournier, Paul; Simcoe, Robert; Woods, Deborah F.

2016-08-01

We describe the design of the fiber-optic coupling and light transfer system of the WISDOM (WIYN Spectrograph for DOppler Monitoring) instrument. As a next-generation Precision Radial Velocity (PRV) spectrometer, WISDOM incorporates lessons learned from HARPS about thermal, pressure, and gravity control, but also takes new measures to stabilize the spectrograph illumination, a subject that has been overlooked until recently. While fiber optic links provide more even illumination than a conventional slit, careful engineering of the interface is required to realize their full potential. Conventional round fiber core geometries have been used successfully in conjunction with optical double scramblers, but such systems still retain a memory of the input illumination that is visible in systems seeking sub-m/s PRV precision. Noncircular fibers, along with advanced optical scramblers, and careful optimization of the spectrograph optical system itself are therefore necessary to study Earth-sized planets. For WISDOM, we have developed such a state-of-the-art fiber link concept. Its design is driven primarily by PRV requirements, but it also manages to preserve high overall throughput. Light from the telescope is coupled into a set of six, 32 μm diameter octagonal core fibers, as high resolution is achieved via pupil slicing. The low-OH, step index, fused silica, FBPI-type fibers are custom designed for their numerical aperture that matches the convergence of the feeding beam and thus minimizes focal ratio degradation at the output. Given the demanding environment at the telescope the fiber end tips are mounted in a custom fused silica holder, providing a perfect thermal match. We used a novel process, chemically assisted photo etching, to manufacture this glass fiber holder. A single ball-lens scrambler is inserted into the 25m long fibers. Employing an anti-reflection (AR) coated, high index, cubic-zirconia ball lens the alignment of the scrambler components are

Tunable superstructure fiber Bragg grating with chirp-distribution modulation based on the effect of external stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yize; Li, Yi; Zhu, Huiqun; Tong, Guoxiang; Fang, Baoying; Li, Liu; Shen, Yujian; Zheng, Qiuxin; Liang, Qian; Yan, Meng; Wang, Feng; Qin, Yuan; Ding, Jie; Wang, Xiaohua

2012-09-15

We report an external stress modulation method for producing a superstructure fiber Bragg grating (FBG) with approximate cascaded resonant cavities composed of different index chirp distributions. The 15 mm uncoated apodized uniform-period FBG is pressed by the vertical stress from the upper 11 pieces of the pattern plate controlled by a piezoelectric ceramic actuator. The piece length is 1 mm, and the interval of the adjacent pieces is 0.4 mm. The reflectivity of the modulated FBG gradually shows six obvious multichannel 75%-85% reflection peaks with the increase of the vertical stress of each pattern-plate piece from 0 to 30 N. The channel spacing is steady at about 10 GHz for a C-band wavelength division multiplexing system.

Cell-cell interactions mediate cytoskeleton organization and collective endothelial cell chemotaxis.

Science.gov (United States)

Shamloo, Amir

2014-09-01

This study investigates the role of cell-cell and cell-ligand interactions in cytoskeleton organization of endothelial cells (ECs) and their directional migration within a microfluidic device. The migration of ECs in response to a biochemical factor was studied. Mathematical analysis of the cell migration pathways and cellular cytoskeleton revealed that directional migration, migration persistence length, migration speed, and cytoskeletal stress fiber alignment can be mediated by the level of cell contacts as well as the presence or absence of a biochemical polarizing factor. It was shown that in the presence of a biochemical polarizing factor, higher cell density and more frequent cell contacts has a reinforcing effect on collective cell chemotaxis. In contrast, in the absence of a polarizing factor, high cell density can decrease or suppress the ability of the cells to migrate. Also, the correlation of actin stress fiber organization and alignment with directional migration of ECs was investigated. It was shown that in the presence of a biochemical polarizing factor, stress fibers within the cytoskeleton of ECs can be significantly aligned parallel to the gradient direction when the cells have higher level of contacts. The results also show that the organization and alignment of actin stress fibers is mediated by cell adhesion junctions during collective cell migration and introduce cell-cell interactions as a key factor during collective cell chemotaxis. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Surface Interface Characteristics of Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotube and Graphitic Carbon Fiber Arrays Grown by Thermal and Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Delzeit, Lance; Nguyen, Cattien; Li, Jun; Han, Jie; Meyyappan, M.

2002-01-01

The development of nano-arrays for sensors and devices requires the growth of arrays with the proper characteristics. One such application is the growth of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphitic carbon fibers (GCFs) for the chemical attachment of probe molecules. The effectiveness of such an array is dependent not only upon the effectiveness of the probe and the interface between that probe and the array, but also the array and the underlaying substrate. If that array is a growth of vertically aligned CNTs or GCFs then the attachment of that array to the surface is of the utmost importance. This attachment provides the mechanical stability and durability of the array, as well as, the electrical properties of that array. If the detection is to be acquired through an electrical measurement, then the appropriate resistance between the array and the surface need to be fabricated into the device. I will present data on CNTs and GCFs grown from both thermal and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The focus will be on the characteristics of the metal film from which the CNTs and GCFs are grown and the changes that occur due to changes within the growth process.

High-power fused assemblies enabled by advances in fiber-processing technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Wiley, Robert; Clark, Brett

2011-02-01

The power handling capabilities of fiber lasers are limited by the technologies available to fabricate and assemble the key optical system components. Previous tools for the assembly, tapering, and fusion of fiber laser elements have had drawbacks with regard to temperature range, alignment capability, assembly flexibility and surface contamination. To provide expanded capabilities for fiber laser assembly, a wide-area electrical plasma heat source was used in conjunction with an optimized image analysis method and a flexible alignment system, integrated according to mechatronic principles. High-resolution imaging and vision-based measurement provided feedback to adjust assembly, fusion, and tapering process parameters. The system was used to perform assembly steps including dissimilar-fiber splicing, tapering, bundling, capillary bundling, and fusion of fibers to bulk optic devices up to several mm in diameter. A wide range of fiber types and diameters were tested, including extremely large diameters and photonic crystal fibers. The assemblies were evaluated for conformation to optical and mechanical design criteria, such as taper geometry and splice loss. The completed assemblies met the performance targets and exhibited reduced surface contamination compared to assemblies prepared on previously existing equipment. The imaging system and image analysis algorithms provided in situ fiber geometry measurement data that agreed well with external measurement. The ability to adjust operating parameters dynamically based on imaging was shown to provide substantial performance benefits, particularly in the tapering of fibers and bundles. The integrated design approach was shown to provide sufficient flexibility to perform all required operations with a minimum of reconfiguration.

The impact of static stress change, dynamic stress change, and the background stress on aftershock focal mechanisms

Science.gov (United States)

Hardebeck, Jeanne L.

2014-01-01

The focal mechanisms of earthquakes in Southern California before and after four M ≥ 6.7 main shocks provide insight into how fault systems respond to stress and changes in stress. The main shock static stress changes have two observed impacts on the seismicity: changing the focal mechanisms in a given location to favor those aligned with the static stress change and changing the spatial distribution of seismicity to favor locations where the static stress change aligns with the background stress. The aftershock focal mechanisms are significantly aligned with the static stress changes for absolute stress changes of ≥ 0.02 MPa, for up to ~20 years following the main shock. The dynamic stress changes have similar, although smaller, effects on the local focal mechanisms and the spatial seismicity distribution. Dynamic stress effects are best observed at long periods (30–60 s) and for metrics based on repeated stress cycling in the same direction. This implies that dynamic triggering operates, at least in part, through cyclic shear stress loading in the direction of fault slip. The background stress also strongly controls both the preshock and aftershock mechanisms. While most aftershock mechanisms are well oriented in the background stress field, 10% of aftershocks are identified as poorly oriented outliers, which may indicate limited heterogeneity in the postmain shock stress field. The fault plane orientations of the outliers are well oriented in the background stress, while their slip directions are not, implying that the background stress restricts the distribution of available fault planes.

Experimental Study of the Effect of Internal Defects on Stress Waves during Automated Fiber Placement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhenyu Han

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The detection technique of component defects is currently only realized to detect offline defects and online surface defects during automated fiber placement (AFP. The characteristics of stress waves can be effectively applied to identify and detect internal defects in material structure. However, the correlation mechanism between stress waves and internal defects remains unclear during the AFP process. This paper proposes a novel experimental method to test stress waves, where continuous loading induced by process itself is used as an excitation source without other external excitation. Twenty-seven groups of thermosetting prepreg laminates under different processing parameters are manufactured to obtain different void content. In order to quantitatively estimate the void content in the prepreg structure, the relation model between the void content and ultrasonic attenuation coefficient is revealed using an A-scan ultrasonic flaw detector and photographic methods by optical microscope. Furthermore, the high-frequency noises of stress waves are removed using Haar wavelet transform. The peaks, the Manhattan distance and mean stress during the laying process are analyzed and evaluated. Partial conclusions in this paper could provide theoretical support for online real-time detection of internal defects based on stress wave characteristics.

Guiding hard x rays with glass polycapillary fiber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiao, Q.F.; Ponomarev, I.Y.; Kolomitsev, A.I.; Gibson, D.M.; Dilmanian, F.A.; Nachaliel, E.

1993-01-01

X rays can be guided through a polycapillary fiber by multiple total reflections from the smooth channel walls of the fiber. Using monochromatic Synchrotron Radiation at energies of 22 and 44 keV, we measured the efficiency of transmission of x rays through polycapillary fibers with channel diameters of about 13 μm. Efficiencies of 57.3% and 54.5% for 22 keV and 44 keV x rays, respectively, were obtained with a 120-mm-long straight polycapillary fiber aligned with the incident beam. These values are close to the open fraction of the fiber, which is about 60%. In addition, transmission efficiency was measured as a function of the tilt angle between the incident beam and the axis of the fiber. We also measured the transmission efficiency as a function of the deflection angle for a 114-mm-long curved polycapillary fiber. The measurements are compared with a ray-tracing simulation

The Influence of Motion and Stress on Optical Fibers

OpenAIRE

Murphy, Jeremy D.; Hill, Gary J.; MacQueen, Phillip J.; Taylor, Trey; Soukup, Ian; Moreira, Walter; Cornell, Mark E.; Good, John; Anderson, Seth; Fuller, Lindsay; Lee, Hanshin; Kelz, Andreas; Rafal, Marc; Rafferty, Tom; Tuttle, Sarah

2013-01-01

We report on extensive testing carried out on the optical fibers for the VIRUS instrument. The primary result of this work explores how 10+ years of simulated wear on a VIRUS fiber bundle affects both transmission and focal ratio degradation (FRD) of the optical fibers. During the accelerated lifetime tests we continuously monitored the fibers for signs of FRD. We find that transient FRD events were common during the portions of the tests when motion was at telescope slew rates, but dropped t...

Packaging of active fiber composites for improved sensor performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melnykowycz, M; Barbezat, M; Koller, R; Brunner, A J

2010-01-01

Active fiber composites (AFC) composed of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) fibers embedded in an epoxy matrix and sandwiched between two interdigitated electrodes provide a thin and flexible smart material device which can act as a sensor or actuator. The thin profiles of AFC make them ideal for integration in glass or carbon fiber composite laminates. However, due to the low tensile limit of the PZT fibers, AFC can fail at strains below the tensile limit of many composites. This makes their use as a component in an active laminate design somewhat undesirable. In the current work, tensile testing of smart laminates composed of AFC integrated in glass fiber laminates was conducted to assess the effectiveness of different packaging strategies for improving AFC sensor performance at high strains relative to the tensile limit of the AFC. AFC were encased in carbon fiber, silicon, and pre-stressed carbon fiber to improve the tensile limit of the AFC when integrated in glass fiber laminates. By laminating AFC with pre-stressed carbon fiber, the tensile limit and strain sensor ability of the AFC were significantly improved. Acoustic emission monitoring was used and the results show that PZT fiber breakage was reduced due to the pre-stressed packaging process

Effects of Interface Coating and Nitride Enhancing Additive on Properties of Hi-Nicalon SiC Fiber Reinforced Reaction-Bonded Silicon Nitride Composites

Science.gov (United States)

Bhatt, Ramakrishana T.; Hull, David R.; Eldridge, Jeffrey I.; Babuder, Raymond

2000-01-01

Strong and tough Hi-Nicalon SiC fiber reinforced reaction-bonded silicon nitride matrix composites (SiC/ RBSN) have been fabricated by the fiber lay-up approach. Commercially available uncoated and PBN, PBN/Si-rich PBN, and BN/SiC coated SiC Hi-Nicalon fiber tows were used as reinforcement. The composites contained approximately 24 vol % of aligned 14 micron diameter SiC fibers in a porous RBSN matrix. Both one- and two-dimensional composites were characterized. The effects of interface coating composition, and the nitridation enhancing additive, NiO, on the room temperature physical, tensile, and interfacial shear strength properties of SiC/RBSN matrix composites were evaluated. Results indicate that for all three coated fibers, the thickness of the coatings decreased from the outer periphery to the interior of the tows, and that from 10 to 30 percent of the fibers were not covered with the interface coating. In the uncoated regions, chemical reaction between the NiO additive and the SiC fiber occurs causing degradation of tensile properties of the composites. Among the three interface coating combinations investigated, the BN/SiC coated Hi-Nicalon SiC fiber reinforced RBSN matrix composite showed the least amount of uncoated regions and reasonably uniform interface coating thickness. The matrix cracking stress in SiC/RBSN composites was predicted using a fracture mechanics based crack bridging model.

Fiber-optic polarization diversity detection for rotary probe optical coherence tomography.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Anthony M D; Pahlevaninezhad, Hamid; Yang, Victor X D; Lam, Stephen; MacAulay, Calum; Lane, Pierre

2014-06-15

We report a polarization diversity detection scheme for optical coherence tomography with a new, custom, miniaturized fiber coupler with single mode (SM) fiber inputs and polarization maintaining (PM) fiber outputs. The SM fiber inputs obviate matching the optical lengths of the X and Y OCT polarization channels prior to interference and the PM fiber outputs ensure defined X and Y axes after interference. Advantages for this scheme include easier alignment, lower cost, and easier miniaturization compared to designs with free-space bulk optical components. We demonstrate the utility of the detection system to mitigate the effects of rapidly changing polarization states when imaging with rotating fiber optic probes in Intralipid suspension and during in vivo imaging of human airways.

Tunable Fiber Bragg Grating Ring Lasers using Macro Fiber Composite Actuators

Science.gov (United States)

Geddis, Demetris L.; Allison, Sidney G.; Shams, Qamar A.

2006-01-01

The research reported herein includes the fabrication of a tunable optical fiber Bragg grating (FBG) fiber ring laser (FRL)1 from commercially available components as a high-speed alternative tunable laser source for NASA Langley s optical frequency domain reflectometer (OFDR) interrogator, which reads low reflectivity FBG sensors. A Macro-Fiber Composite (MFC) actuator invented at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) was selected to tune the laser. MFC actuators use a piezoelectric sheet cut into uniaxially aligned rectangular piezo-fibers surrounded by a polymer matrix and incorporate interdigitated electrodes to deliver electric fields along the length of the piezo-fibers. This configuration enables MFC actuators to produce displacements larger than the original uncut piezoelectric sheet. The FBG filter was sandwiched between two MFC actuators, and when strained, produced approximately 3.62 nm of wavelength shift in the FRL when biasing the MFC actuators from 500 V to 2000 V. This tunability range is comparable to that of other tunable lasers and is adequate for interrogating FBG sensors using OFDR technology. Three different FRL configurations were studied. Configuration A examined the importance of erbium-doped fiber length and output coupling. Configuration B demonstrated the importance of the FBG filter. Configuration C added an output coupler to increase the output power and to isolate the filter. Only configuration C was tuned because it offered the best optical power output of the three configurations. Use of Plastic Optical Fiber (POF) FBG s holds promise for enhanced tunability in future research.

An in-fiber Bragg grating sensor for contact force and stress measurements in articular joints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dennison, Christopher R; Wild, Peter M; Wilson, David R; Gilbart, Michael K

2010-01-01

We present an in-fiber Bragg grating-based sensor (240 µm diameter) for contact force/stress measurements in articular joints. The contact force sensor and another Bragg grating-based pressure sensor (400 µm diameter) are used to conduct the first simultaneous measurements of contact force/stress and fluid pressure in intact cadaveric human hips. The contact force/stress sensor addresses limitations associated with stress-sensitive films, the current standard tools for contact measurements in joints, including cartilage modulus-dependent sensitivity of films and the necessity to remove biomechanically relevant anatomy to implant the films. Because stress-sensitive films require removal of anatomy, it has been impossible to validate the mechanical rationale underlying preventive or corrective surgeries, which repair these anatomies, by conducting simultaneous stress and pressure measurements in intact hips. Methods are presented to insert the Bragg grating-based sensors into the joint, while relevant anatomy is left largely intact. Sensor performance is predicted using numerical models and the predicted sensitivity is verified through experimental calibrations. Contact force/stress and pressure measurements in cadaveric joints exhibited repeatability. With further validation, the Bragg grating-based sensors could be used to study the currently unknown relationships between contact forces and pressures in both healthy and degenerated joints

End-systolic stress-velocity relation and circumferential fiber velocity shortening for analysing left ventricular function in mice

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fayssoil, A. [Cardiologie, Hopital europeen Georges Pompidou, 20, rue le blanc, Paris (France)], E-mail: fayssoil2000@yahoo.fr; Renault, G. [CNRS UMR 8104, Inserm, U567, Institut Cochin, Universite Paris Descartes, Paris (France); Fougerousse, F. [Genethon, RD, Evry (France)

2009-08-15

Traditionally, analysing left ventricular (LV) performance relies on echocardiography by evaluating shortening fraction (SF) in mice. SF is influenced by load conditions. End-systolic stress-velocity (ESSV) relation and circumferential fiber velocity (VcF) shortening are more relevant parameters for evaluating systolic function regardless load conditions particularly in mice's models of heart failure.

Dynamics of myosin II organization into contractile networks and fibers at the medial cell cortex

Science.gov (United States)

Nie, Wei

The cellular morphology of adhered cells depends crucially on the formation of a contractile meshwork of parallel and cross-linked stress fibers along the contacting surface. The motor activity and mini-filament assembly of non-muscle myosin II is an important component of cell-level cytoskeletal remodeling during mechanosensing. To monitor the dynamics of non-muscle myosin II, we used confocal microscopy to image cultured HeLa cells that stably express myosin regulatory light chain tagged with GFP (MRLC-GFP). MRLC-GFP was monitored in time-lapse movies at steady state and during the response of cells to varying concentrations of blebbistatin (which disrupts actomyosin stress fibers). Using image correlation spectroscopy analysis, we quantified the kinetics of disassembly and reassembly of actomyosin networks and compared to studies by other groups. This analysis suggested the following processes: myosin minifilament assembly and disassembly; aligning and contraction; myosin filament stabilization upon increasing contractile tension. Numerical simulations that include those processes capture some of the main features observed in the experiments. This study provides a framework to help interpret how different cortical myosin remodeling kinetics may contribute to different cell shape and rigidity depending on substrate stiffness. We discuss methods to monitor myosin reorganization using non-linear imaging methods.

Effects of short fiber reinforcement and mean stress on tensile fatigue strength characteristics of polyethersulfone; Tansen`i kyoka porieterusaruhon no hippari hiro tokusei ni oyobosu heikin oryoku no eikyo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Furue, H.; Nonaka, K. [Mechanical Engineering Lab., Tsukuba, Ibaraki (Japan)

1996-01-15

Thermoplastics are often reinforced with short fibers with aims of improvement of their strengths, rigidities and hardness or maintenance of their dimensional stabilities. Such short fiber reinforced plastic materials have more expectation for high performance plastics. Authors already examined of some effects of reinforced fiber and of orientation in injection molding on flexural fatigue characteristics of the injection-molded high performance thermoplastic materials. However, the examination of short fiber reinforced effects on fatigue strength characteristics was not always sufficient. In this study, in order to obtain a guiding principle for fatigue resistant design of the short fiber reinforced injection molding materials, polyethersulfones (PES) was examined on its tensile fatigue strength and an effect of short fiber reinforcement for improvement of its fundamental dynamic properties on its fatigue characteristics. Especially, its fatigue life characteristics was elucidated mainly on relationship of mean stress, stress amplitude and number of repeating fracture in tensile fatigue behavior. 10 refs., 15 figs., 2 tabs.

Crystallization and mechanical behavior of the ferroelectric polymer nonwoven fiber fabrics for highly durable wearable sensor applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Z.H. [Department of Mechanical and Electro-Mechanical Engineering, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan (China); Center for Nanoscience & Nanotechnology, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Taiwan (China); National Science Council Core Facilities Laboratory for Nano-Science and Nano-Technology in Kaohsiung-Pingtung Area, Taiwan (China); Micro/Meso Mechanical Manufacturing R& D Department, Metal Industries Research and Development Centre, Kaohsiung 81160, Taiwan (China); Pan, C.T., E-mail: panct@mail.nsysu.edu.tw [Department of Mechanical and Electro-Mechanical Engineering, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan (China); Center for Nanoscience & Nanotechnology, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Taiwan (China); National Science Council Core Facilities Laboratory for Nano-Science and Nano-Technology in Kaohsiung-Pingtung Area, Taiwan (China); Yen, C.K. [Department of Mechanical and Electro-Mechanical Engineering, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan (China); Center for Nanoscience & Nanotechnology, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Taiwan (China); National Science Council Core Facilities Laboratory for Nano-Science and Nano-Technology in Kaohsiung-Pingtung Area, Taiwan (China); Lin, L.W. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Berkeley Sensor and Actuator Center, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Huang, J.C. [Department of Materials and Optoelectronic Science, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan (China); Ke, C.A. [Department of Mechanical and Electro-Mechanical Engineering, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan (China)

2015-08-15

Highlights: • Performance of the hollow cylindrical near-field electrospinning (HCNFES). • Well-aligned self-assembled PVDF nonwoven fiber fabrics. • Highly durable wearable sensors. • The mechanical characterization of HCNFES piezoelectric NFFs. • The formation of β-form extended-chain crystallites in the PVDF nanofibers. - Abstract: The mechanical characterization of the electrospinning polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nonwoven fiber fabrics (NFFs) doped with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) was investigated. Piezoelectric composite nanofibers of the PVDF/MWCNTs were directly electrospun by the hollow cylindrical near-field electrospinning (HCNFES) without any post-poling treatment. We have made the HCNFES NFFs consisted of high-orderly arranged nanofiber assemblies for further characterizing the effect of MWCNTs filling PVDF nanofibers. An in situ electrical poling and high uniaxial stretching imparted on the polymer jet during the HCNFES process, which naturally align the dipoles in the PVDF crystals and promote the formation of the polar β-crystalline phase within the fibers. Moreover, the reinforcement of the HCNFES PVDF nanofibers indicated the improvement in mechanical properties and the degree of high oriented extended-chain crystallites through adding adequate contents of MWCNTs. In the case of alignment of the all-trans polymer chains in the vicinity of MWCNTs along the fiber axis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns showed the strongest diffraction peak of the β-crystalline phase. In the comparison of the near-field electrospinning (NFES), the HCNFES nanofibers with smooth surface and smaller diameter can easily form high density structural NFFs. After nano-indentation and tensile strength measurements, the results indicated that the mechanical properties of the HCNFES NFFs are better than the NFES ones. When 16 wt% PVDF solution doped with 0.03 wt% MWCNTs, the results reveal that Young's modulus, hardness, yield stress, yield strain

Adapting the mode profile of planar waveguides to single-mode fibers : a novel method

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smit, M.K.; Vreede, De A.H.

1991-01-01

A novel method for coupling single-mode fibers to planar optical circuits with small waveguide dimensions is proposed. The method eliminates the need to apply microoptics or to adapt the waveguide dimensions within the planar circuit to the fiber dimensions. Alignment tolerances are comparable to

Characterization of ecofriendly polyethylene fiber from plastic bag waste

Science.gov (United States)

Soekoco, Asril S.; Noerati, Komalasari, Maya; Kurniawan, Hananto, Agus

2017-08-01

This paper presents the characterization of fiber morphology, fiber count and tenacity of polyethylene fiber which is made from plastic bag waste. Recycling plastic bag waste into textile fiber has not developed yet. Plastic bag waste was recycled into fiber by melt spinning using laboratory scale melt spinning equipment with single orifice nozzle and plunger system. The basic principle of melt spinning is by melting materials and then extruding it through small orifice of a spinning nozzle to form fibers. Diameter and cross section shape of Recycled polyethylene fiber were obtained by using scanning electron microscope (SEM) instrumentation. Linear density of the recycled fiber were analyzed by calculation using denier and dTex formulation and The mechanical strength of the fibers was measured in accordance with the ASTM D 3379-75 standard. The cross section of recycled fiber is circular taking the shape of orifice. Fiber count of 303.75 denier has 1.84 g/denier tenacity and fiber count of 32.52 has 3.44 g/denier tenacity. This conditions is affected by the growth of polymer chain alignment when take-up axial velocity become faster. Recycled polyethylene fiber has a great potential application in non-apparel textile.

Electrospinning of oriented and nonoriented ultrafine fibers of biopolymers

Science.gov (United States)

Vu, David

2005-07-01

Chitosan has long been known as a biocompatible and biodegradable material suitable for tissue engineering applications. Unfortunately, conventional chitosan solutions cannot be used for electrospinning due to their high conductivity, viscosity and surface tension. We have developed a method to produce clear chitosan solutions with conductivities, surface tension and viscosities that facilitate their processing into micron and submicron fibers via electrospinning. Acetic acid, carbon dioxide and organic solvents are key ingredients in preparing the chitosan solutions. Oriented and non oriented chitosan fibers were produced with the ultimate goal of designing a suitable tissue engineering scaffold. Circularly oriented, continuous, and aligned nanofibers were produced via this technique in the form of a thin membrane or fibrous "mat". Chitosan fiber diameters ranged from 5 micrometers down to 100 nanometers. The structure and mechanical properties of oriented and randomly aligned chitosan fiber deposits could potentially be exploited for cartilage tissue engineering. Ultrafine fibers of starch acetate (SA) also were prepared by the electrospinning process. In this study, solvent mixtures based on DMF, DMSO, pyrindine, acetic acid, acetone, THF, DMC, chloroform were used. A two-solvent formulation was used to study the effect of viscosity, surface tension, and conductivity to the fiber diameter. Also, water and ethanol were used to decrease the boiling point of the solvent, and to make bundled fibers. Several techniques such as scanning electron microscopy, conductmetry, viscometry, and tensiometry were used in this study. The results showed that the combined effects of viscosity, surface tension, and conductivity are of great importance in controlling the diameter of the fibers. We were able to produce SA fibers that was less than 40 nm in diameter. The dependence of fiber diameter on flow-rate, electric field and solvents also was investigated. A rotating disk and a

Fiber optic spectroscopic digital imaging sensor and method for flame properties monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Zelepouga, Serguei A [Hoffman Estates, IL; Rue, David M [Chicago, IL; Saveliev, Alexei V [Chicago, IL

2011-03-15

A system for real-time monitoring of flame properties in combustors and gasifiers which includes an imaging fiber optic bundle having a light receiving end and a light output end and a spectroscopic imaging system operably connected with the light output end of the imaging fiber optic bundle. Focusing of the light received by the light receiving end of the imaging fiber optic bundle by a wall disposed between the light receiving end of the fiber optic bundle and a light source, which wall forms a pinhole opening aligned with the light receiving end.

Squid pen-inspired chitinous functional materials: Hierarchical chitin fibers by centrifugal jet-spinning and transparent chitin fiber-reinforced composite

Science.gov (United States)

Jeong, Seung-Hwan; Kim, Joong-Kwon; Lim, Young-Woo; Hwang, Hyun-Bin; Kwon, Hee-Young; Bae, Byeong-Soo; Jin, Jungho

2018-01-01

Here, inspired by the fibrous composite structure of a squid pen, we introduce hierarchical chitin fibers (herein, termed "Chiber") and their transparent composites and demonstrate the potential of these chitinous functional materials as a sustainable separation-membrane and reinforcing filler for composites. We employ a centrifugal jet-spinning process to fabricate Chiber with aligned chitin nanofibrillar architectures, for which we discuss the processing-morphology relationship. A nonwoven fiber-mat made of Chiber exhibits excellent adsorbing performance for a toxic ionic dye (Congo Red), and has a low coefficient of thermal expansion comparable to that of glass fibers. Finally, we demonstrate a squid pen-mimetic transparent composite using Chiber and investigate its optical property.

Surface Acoustic Waves Grant Superior Spatial Control of Cells Embedded in Hydrogel Fibers.

Science.gov (United States)

Lata, James P; Guo, Feng; Guo, Jinshan; Huang, Po-Hsun; Yang, Jian; Huang, Tony Jun

2016-10-01

By exploiting surface acoustic waves and a coupling layer technique, cells are patterned within a photosensitive hydrogel fiber to mimic physiological cell arrangement in tissues. The aligned cell-polymer matrix is polymerized with short exposure to UV light and the fiber is extracted. These patterned cell fibers are manipulated into simple and complex architectures, demonstrating feasibility for tissue-engineering applications. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

High-precision optical systems with inexpensive hardware: a unified alignment and structural design approach

Science.gov (United States)

Winrow, Edward G.; Chavez, Victor H.

2011-09-01

High-precision opto-mechanical structures have historically been plagued by high costs for both hardware and the associated alignment and assembly process. This problem is especially true for space applications where only a few production units are produced. A methodology for optical alignment and optical structure design is presented which shifts the mechanism of maintaining precision from tightly toleranced, machined flight hardware to reusable, modular tooling. Using the proposed methodology, optical alignment error sources are reduced by the direct alignment of optics through their surface retroreflections (pips) as seen through a theodolite. Optical alignment adjustments are actualized through motorized, sub-micron precision actuators in 5 degrees of freedom. Optical structure hardware costs are reduced through the use of simple shapes (tubes, plates) and repeated components. This approach produces significantly cheaper hardware and more efficient assembly without sacrificing alignment precision or optical structure stability. The design, alignment plan and assembly of a 4" aperture, carbon fiber composite, Schmidt-Cassegrain concept telescope is presented.

The mechanical properties of dry, electrospun fibrinogen fibers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baker, Stephen; Sigley, Justin; Helms, Christine C.; Stitzel, Joel; Berry, Joel; Bonin, Keith; Guthold, Martin

2012-01-01

Due to their low immunogenicity, biodegradability and native cell-binding domains, fibrinogen fibers may be good candidates for tissue engineering scaffolds, drug delivery vehicles and other medical devices. We used a combined atomic force microscope (AFM)/optical microscope technique to study the mechanical properties of individual, electrospun fibrinogen fibers in dry, ambient conditions. The AFM was used to stretch individual fibers suspended over 13.5 μm wide grooves in a transparent substrate. The optical microscope, located below the sample, was used to monitor the stretching process. Electrospun fibrinogen fibers (diameter, 30–200 nm) can stretch to 74% beyond their original length before rupturing at a stress of 2.1 GPa. They can stretch elastically up to 15% beyond their original length. Using incremental stress–strain curves the viscoelastic behavior of these fibers was determined. The total stretch modulus was 4.2 GPa while the relaxed elastic modulus was 3.7 GPa. When held at constant strain, fibrinogen fibers display stress relaxation with a fast and slow relaxation time of 1.2 s and 11 s. In comparison to native and electrospun collagen fibers, dry electrospun fibrinogen fibers are significantly more extensible and elastic. In comparison to wet electrospun fibrinogen fibers, dry fibers are about 1000 times stiffer. - Highlights: ► Fabricated dry, electrospun, fibrinogen fibers; average diameter, D avg. = 95 nm. ► Determined mechanical properties with combined atomic force/optical microscope. ► Fibers are very extensible (ε max = 74%) and elastic (ε elastic = 15%). ► Fiber total modulus, E tot. = 4.2 GPa; elastic modulus, E el. = 3.7 GPa. ► Fiber stress relaxation times: τ 1 = 1.2 s and τ 2 = 11 s.

Maximum-performance fiber-optic irradiation with nonimaging designs.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Y; Feuermann, D; Gordon, J M

1997-10-01

A range of practical nonimaging designs for optical fiber applications is presented. Rays emerging from a fiber over a restricted angular range (small numerical aperture) are needed to illuminate a small near-field detector at maximum radiative efficiency. These designs range from pure reflector (all-mirror), to pure dielectric (refractive and based on total internal reflection) to lens-mirror combinations. Sample designs are shown for a specific infrared fiber-optic irradiation problem of practical interest. Optical performance is checked with computer three-dimensional ray tracing. Compared with conventional imaging solutions, nonimaging units offer considerable practical advantages in compactness and ease of alignment as well as noticeably superior radiative efficiency.

Information transmission via fiber optics in the shiva laser control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parker, J.

1978-01-01

The Fiber Optic Serial Link package performs the functions of transmission and reception of signals over a pair of fiber optic cables and the I/O of serial data to a local device in EIA format. Present sysems requirements include fiber cable transmission length of up to 150 m and baud rates up to 9600, although the design criterium of transmission at 19.2 KB has been met. Fiber optic links are used between the central control area and each of the alignment control subsystems, in addition to sending timing signals over long distances between subsystems

Experimental studies of fiber concrete creep

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Korneeva Irina

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The results of two-stage experimental studies of the strength and deformation characteristics of fibrous concrete reinforced with steel fiber. In the experiments we used steel fiber with bent ends, which practically does not form "hedgehogs", which allows to achieve an even distribution of the fiber by volume. At the first stage, the cube and prismatic strength, deformability at central compression, a number of special characteristics are determined: water absorption, frost resistance, abrasion; the optimal percentage of fiber reinforcement and the maximum size of the coarse aggregate fraction were selected. Fiber reinforcement led to an increase in the strength of concrete at compression by 1,35 times and an increase in the tensile strength at bending by 3,4 times. At the second stage, the creep of fibrous concrete and plain concrete of similar composition at different stress levels was researched. Creep curves are plotted. It is shown that the use of fiber reinforcement leads to a decrease in creep strain by 21 to 30 percent, depending on the stress level.

Photovoltaic fibers

Science.gov (United States)

Gaudiana, Russell; Eckert, Robert; Cardone, John; Ryan, James; Montello, Alan

2006-08-01

It was realized early in the history of Konarka that the ability to produce fibers that generate power from solar energy could be applied to a wide variety of applications where fabrics are utilized currently. These applications include personal items such as jackets, shirts and hats, to architectural uses such as awnings, tents, large covers for cars, trucks and even doomed stadiums, to indoor furnishings such as window blinds, shades and drapes. They may also be used as small fabric patches or fiber bundles for powering or recharging batteries in small sensors. Power generating fabrics for clothing is of particular interest to the military where they would be used in uniforms and body armor where portable power is vital to field operations. In strong sunlight these power generating fabrics could be used as a primary source of energy, or they can be used in either direct sunlight or low light conditions to recharge batteries. Early in 2002, Konarka performed a series of proof-of-concept experiments to demonstrate the feasibility of building a photovoltaic cell using dye-sensitized titania and electrolyte on a metal wire core. The approach taken was based on the sequential coating processes used in making fiber optics, namely, a fiber core, e.g., a metal wire serving as the primary electrode, is passed through a series of vertically aligned coating cups. Each of the cups contains a coating fluid that has a specific function in the photocell. A second wire, used as the counter electrode, is brought into the process prior to entering the final coating cup. The latter contains a photopolymerizable, transparent cladding which hardens when passed through a UV chamber. Upon exiting the UV chamber, the finished PV fiber is spooled. Two hundred of foot lengths of PV fiber have been made using this process. When the fiber is exposed to visible radiation, it generates electrical power. The best efficiency exhibited by these fibers is 6% with an average value in the 4

Optical devices based on liquid crystal photonic bandgap fibers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alkeskjold, Thomas Tanggaard

2005-01-01

the waveguiding mechanism of LC filled PCFs. The principle of tunable fibers based on LCs is thereafter discussed and an alignment and coating study of LC in capillaries is presented. Next, the Liquid Crystal Photonic BandGap (LCPBG) fiber is presented and the waveguiding mechanism is analyzed through plane...... hole. The presence of a LC in the holes of the PCF transforms the fiber from a Total Internal Reflection (TIR) guiding type into a Photonic BandGap (PBG) guiding type, where light is confined to the silica core by coherent scattering from the LC-billed holes. The high dielectric and optical anisotropy...

Mechanical alignment of particles for use in fabricating superconducting and permanent magnetic materials

Science.gov (United States)

Nellis, William J.; Maple, M. Brian

1992-01-01

A method for mechanically aligning oriented superconducting or permanently magnetic materials for further processing into constructs. This pretreatment optimizes the final crystallographic orientation and, thus, properties in these constructs. Such materials as superconducting fibers, needles and platelets are utilized.

Hydrodynamic Study of a Hollow Fiber Membrane System Using Experimental and Numerical Derived Surface Shear Stresses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ratkovich, Nicolas Rios; Hunze, M.; Nopens, I.

2012-01-01

.39 – 0.69 Pa) were in good agreement, with an error less that 15 %. Based on comparison of the cumulative frequency distribution of shear stresses from experiments and simulation: (i) moderate shear stresses (i.e. 50th percentile) were found to be accurately predicted (model: 0.24 – 0.45 Pa; experimental......Computational Fluids Dynamics (CFD) models can be used to gain insight into the shear stresses induced by air sparging on submerged hollow fiber Membrane BioReactor (MBR) systems. It was found that the average range of shear stresses obtained by the CFD model (0.30 – 0.60 Pa) and experimentally (0......: 0.25 – 0.49 Pa) with an error of less than 5 %; (ii) high shear stresses (i.e. 90th percentile) predictions were much less accurate (model: 0.60 – 1.23 Pa; experimental: 1.04 – 1.90 Pa) with an error up to 38 %. This was attributed to the fact that the CFD model only considers the two-phase flow (50...

Mechanical properties of unidirectional oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber reinforced epoxy composite

Science.gov (United States)

Hassan, C. S.; Yeo, C. W.; Sahari, B.; Salit, M. S.; Aziz, N. Abdul

2017-06-01

Natural fibers have proven to be an excellent reinforcement material for various polymers. In this study, OPEFB fiber with unidirectional alignment was incorporated in epoxy and an investigation on tensile and flexural characteristics of the composite has been carried out. A fiber surface modification utilizing alkaline treatment with 1 sodium hydroxide solution was used in order to increase the fiber matrix bond in the composite. The investigation was carried out for 0°, 45° and 90° fiber orientation. Result showed that the higher the angle of the fiber orientation, the higher the tensile strength and flexural strength the composite will yield.

Influence of Fe(Cr) miscibility on thin film grain size and stress

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, Xuyang; Kaub, Tyler; Martens, Richard L.; Thompson, Gregory B., E-mail: gthompson@eng.ua.edu

2016-08-01

During the post coalescence portion of thin film deposition, thin film stress is related to the grain size and adatom mobility of the depositing material. Using a Fe(Cr) alloy thin film, the manipulation of the tensile stress for thick films was studied as a function of Cr solute content up to 8 at.%. Solute concentrations up to 4 at.% resulted in an approximate 50% increase in grain size that resulted in a reduction of the tensile stress to be lower than either elemental film. Upon increasing the Cr content, the grain size refined and the tensile stress of the films increased. Atom probe characterization of the grain boundaries confirmed Cr chemical partitioning which refined the grain size and altered the film's texture, both of which contributed to the change in film stress. The use of intrinsic segregation, rather than deposition processing parameters, appears to be another viable option for regulating film stress. - Highlights: • Solute segregation to regulate grain size in controlling film stress • Quantification of Cr interfacial excess as a function of alloy content • Quantification of texture fiber alignment as a function of Cr content.

Compressive Behavior of Fiber-Reinforced Concrete with End-Hooked Steel Fibers.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Seong-Cheol; Oh, Joung-Hwan; Cho, Jae-Yeol

2015-03-27

In this paper, the compressive behavior of fiber-reinforced concrete with end-hooked steel fibers has been investigated through a uniaxial compression test in which the variables were concrete compressive strength, fiber volumetric ratio, and fiber aspect ratio (length to diameter). In order to minimize the effect of specimen size on fiber distribution, 48 cylinder specimens 150 mm in diameter and 300 mm in height were prepared and then subjected to uniaxial compression. From the test results, it was shown that steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) specimens exhibited ductile behavior after reaching their compressive strength. It was also shown that the strain at the compressive strength generally increased along with an increase in the fiber volumetric ratio and fiber aspect ratio, while the elastic modulus decreased. With consideration for the effect of steel fibers, a model for the stress-strain relationship of SFRC under compression is proposed here. Simple formulae to predict the strain at the compressive strength and the elastic modulus of SFRC were developed as well. The proposed model and formulae will be useful for realistic predictions of the structural behavior of SFRC members or structures.

Assembly and Alignment of Ship Power Plants in Modern Shipbuilding

OpenAIRE

A. O. Mikhailov; K. N. Morozov

2013-01-01

Fine alignment of main ship power plants mechanisms and shaft lines provides long-term and failure-free performance of propulsion system while fast and high-quality installation of mechanisms and shaft lines decreases common labor intensity. For checking shaft line allowed stress and setting its alignment it is required to perform calculations considering various stages of life cycle. In 2012 JSC SSTC developed special software complex “Shaftline” for calculation of align...

Fabrication and preliminary study of a biomimetic tri-layer tubular graft based on fibers and fiber yarns for vascular tissue engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Tong; Zhang, Jialing; Wang, Yuanfei; Li, Dandan; Sun, Binbin; El-Hamshary, Hany; Yin, Meng; Mo, Xiumei

2018-01-01

Designing a biomimetic and functional tissue-engineered vascular graft has been urgently needed for repairing and regenerating defected vascular tissues. Utilizing a multi-layered vascular scaffold is commonly considered an effective way, because multi-layered scaffolds can easily simulate the structure and function of natural blood vessels. Herein, we developed a novel tri-layer tubular graft consisted of Poly(L-lactide-co-caprolactone)/collagen (PLCL/COL) fibers and Poly(lactide-co-glycolide)/silk fibroin (PLGA/SF) yarns via a three-step electrospinning method. The tri-layer vascular graft consisted of PLCL/COL aligned fibers in inner layer, PLGA/SF yarns in middle layer, and PLCL/COL random fibers in outer layer. Each layer possessed tensile mechanical strength and elongation, and the entire tubular structure provided tensile and compressive supports. Furthermore, the human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and smooth muscle cells (SMCs) proliferated well on the materials. Fluorescence staining images demonstrated that the axially aligned PLCL/COL fibers prearranged endothelium morphology in lumen and the circumferential oriented PLGA/SF yarns regulated SMCs organization along the single yarns. The outside PLCL/COL random fibers performed as the fixed layer to hold the entire tubular structure. The in vivo results showed that the tri-layer vascular graft supported cell infiltration, scaffold biodegradation and abundant collagen production after subcutaneous implantation for 10weeks, revealing the optimal biocompatibility and tissue regenerative capability of the tri-layer graft. Therefore, the specially designed tri-layer vascular graft will be beneficial to vascular reconstruction. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Carbon Fiber Reinforced Carbon Composite Valve for an Internal Combustion Engine

Science.gov (United States)

Rivers, H. Kevin (Inventor); Ransone, Philip O. (Inventor); Northam, G. Burton (Inventor)

1999-01-01

A carbon fiber reinforced carbon composite valve for internal combustion engines and the like formed of continuous carbon fibers throughout the valve's stem and head is disclosed. The valve includes braided carbon fiber material over axially aligned unidirectional carbon fibers forming a valve stem; the braided and unidirectional carbon fibers being broomed out at one end of the valve stem forming the shape of the valve head; the valve-shaped structure being densified and rigidized with a matrix of carbon containing discontinuous carbon fibers: and the finished valve being treated to resist oxidation. Also disclosed is a carbon matrix plug containing continuous and discontinuous carbon fibers and forming a net-shape valve head acting as a mandrel over which the unidirectional and braided carbon fibers are formed according to textile processes. Also disclosed are various preform valves and processes for making finished and preform carbon fiber reinforced carbon composite valves.

Oxidation effects on the mechanical properties of SiC fiber-reinforced reaction-bonded silicon nitride matrix composites

Science.gov (United States)

Bhatt, Ramakrishna T.

1989-01-01

The room temperature mechanical properties of SiC fiber reinforced reaction bonded silicon nitride composites were measured after 100 hrs exposure at temperatures to 1400 C in nitrogen and oxygen environments. The composites consisted of approx. 30 vol percent uniaxially aligned 142 micron diameter SiC fibers in a reaction bonded Si3N4 matrix. The results indicate that composites heat treated in a nitrogen environment at temperatures to 1400 C showed deformation and fracture behavior equivalent to that of the as-fabricated composites. Also, the composites heat treated in an oxidizing environment beyond 400 C yielded significantly lower tensile strength values. Specifically in the temperature range from 600 to 1000 C, composites retained approx. 40 percent of their as-fabricated strength, and those heat treated in the temperatures from 1200 to 1400 C retained 70 percent. Nonetheless, for all oxygen heat treatment conditions, composite specimens displayed strain capability beyond the matrix fracture stress; a typical behavior of a tough composite.

Self-similar drag reduction in plug-flow of suspensions of macroscopic fibers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gillissen, J.J.J.; Hoving, J.P.

2012-01-01

Pipe flow experiments show that turbulent drag reduction in plug-flow of concentrated suspensions of macroscopic fibers is a self-similar function of the wall shear stress over the fiber network yield stress. We model the experimental observations, by assuming a central fiber network plug, whose

Vibration monitoring of carbon fiber composites by multiple fiber optic sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Olivero, Massimo; Perrone, Guido; Vallan, Alberto; Chen, Wei; Tosi, Daniele

2014-05-01

This work presents the comparison between the fiber Bragg grating technology and a vibration-measurement technique based on the detection of polarization rotation (polarimetric sensor) in a standard optical fiber, applied to the dynamic structural monitoring of carbon reinforced composites for the automotive industry. A carbon reinforced composite test plate in a 4-layer configuration was equipped with fiber Bragg gratings and polarimetric fiber sensors, then it was mechanically stressed by static and dynamic loads while monitoring the sensors response. The fiber Bragg grating setup exhibited 1.15+/-0.0016 pm/kg static load response and reproduced dynamic excitation with 0.1% frequency uncertainty, while the polarimetric sensing system exhibited a sensitivity of 1.74+/-0.001 mV/kg and reproduced the dynamic excitation with 0.5% frequency uncertainty. It is shown that the polarimetric sensor technology represents a cheap yet efficient alternative to the fiber Bragg grating sensors in the case of vibration-monitoring of small structures at high frequency.

An electromagnetically actuated fiber optic switch using magnetized ferromagnetic materials

Science.gov (United States)

Pandojirao-S, Praveen; Dhaubanjar, Naresh; Phuyal, Pratibha C.; Chiao, Mu; Chiao, J.-C.

2008-03-01

This paper presents the design, fabrication and testing of a fiber optic switch actuated electromagnetically. The ferromagnetic gel coated optical fiber is actuated using external electromagnetic fields. The ferromagnetic gel consists of ferromagnetic powders dispersed in epoxy. The fabrication utilizes a simple cost-effective coating setup. A direct fiberto-fiber alignment eliminates the need for complementary optical parts and the displacement of fiber switches the laser coupling. The magnetic characteristics of magnetized ferromagnetic materials are performed using alternating gradient magnetometer and the magnetic hysteresis curves are measured for different ferromagnetic materials including iron, cobalt, and nickel. Optical fiber switches with various fiber lengths are actuated and their static and dynamic responses for the same volume of ferromagnetic gel are summarized. The highest displacement is 1.345 mm with an input current of 260mA. In this paper, the performance of fiber switches with various coating materials is presented.

Uniaxially aligned ceramic nanofibers obtained by chemical mechanical processing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tararam, R. [Univ Estadual Paulista – UNESP – Instituto de Química, Rua Prof. Francisco Degni n° 55, CEP 14800-900 Araraquara, SP (Brazil); Foschini, C.R. [Univ Estadual Paulista – UNESP – Faculdade de Engenharia de Bauru, Dept. de Eng. Mecanica, Av. Eng. Luiz Edmundo C. Coube 14-01, CEP 17033-360 Bauru, SP (Brazil); Destro, F.B. [Univ Estadual Paulista – UNESP – Faculdade de Engenharia de Guaratinguetá, Guaratinguetá 12516-410, SP (Brazil); Simões, A.Z., E-mail: alezipo@yahoo.com [Univ Estadual Paulista – UNESP – Faculdade de Engenharia de Guaratinguetá, Guaratinguetá 12516-410, SP (Brazil); Longo, E.; Varela, J.A. [Univ Estadual Paulista – UNESP – Instituto de Química, Rua Prof. Francisco Degni n° 55, CEP 14800-900 Araraquara, SP (Brazil)

2014-08-01

For this study, we investigated a simple method to generate well aligned nanofibers over large areas using an organic polymer stretched over the substrate surface With this method, ZnO and CuO 3D parallel nanowire arrays were successfully prepared by calcinations of the polymer fibers. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that the copper oxide has a monoclinic structure while the zinc oxide has a hexagonal structure. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis showed ceramic nanofibers with an average diameter of 120 nm which were composed of small nanoparticles which are 10 nm in diameter. The ability to obtain uniaxially aligned nanofibers reveals a range of interesting properties with potential applications for sensors, catalysts and energy technologies.

Cyclic stress at mHz frequencies aligns fibroblasts in direction of zero strain.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Uta Faust

Full Text Available Recognition of external mechanical signals is vital for mammalian cells. Cyclic stretch, e.g. around blood vessels, is one such signal that induces cell reorientation from parallel to almost perpendicular to the direction of stretch. Here, we present quantitative analyses of both, cell and cytoskeletal reorientation of umbilical cord fibroblasts. Cyclic strain of preset amplitudes was applied at mHz frequencies. Elastomeric chambers were specifically designed and characterized to distinguish between zero strain and minimal stress directions and to allow accurate theoretical modeling. Reorientation was only induced when the applied stretch exceeded a specific amplitude, suggesting a non-linear response. However, on very soft substrates no mechanoresponse occurs even for high strain. For all stretch amplitudes, the angular distributions of reoriented cells are in very good agreement with a theory modeling stretched cells as active force dipoles. Cyclic stretch increases the number of stress fibers and the coupling to adhesions. We show that changes in cell shape follow cytoskeletal reorientation with a significant temporal delay. Our data identify the importance of environmental stiffness for cell reorientation, here in direction of zero strain. These in vitro experiments on cultured cells argue for the necessity of rather stiff environmental conditions to induce cellular reorientation in mammalian tissues.

Optical Fiber Spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Buoncristiani, A. M.

1999-01-01

This is the final report of work done on NASA Grant NAG-1-443. The work covers the period from July 1, 1992 to December 1, 1998. During this period several distinct but related research studies and work tasks were undertaken. These different subjects are enumerated below with a description of the work done on each of them. The focus of the research was the development of optical fibers for use as distributed temperature and stress sensors. The initial concept was to utilize the utilize the temperature and stress dependence of emission from rare earth and transition metal ions substitutionally doped into crystalline or glass fibers. During the course of investigating this it became clear that fiber Bragg gratings provided a alternative for making the desired measurements and there was a shift of research focus on to include the photo-refractive properties of germano-silicate glasses used for most gratings and to the possibility of developing fiber laser sources for an integrated optical sensor in the research effort. During the course of this work several students from Christopher Newport University and other universities participated in this effort. Their names are listed below. Their participation was an important part of their education.

Fabrication of highly conductive carbon nanotube fibers for electrical application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Fengmei; Li, Can; Wei, Jinquan; Xu, Ruiqiao; Zhang, Zelin; Cui, Xian; Wang, Kunlin; Wu, Dehai

2015-01-01

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have great potential for use as electrical wires because of their outstanding electrical and mechanical properties. Here, we fabricate lightweight CNT fibers with electrical conductivity as high as that of stainless steel from macroscopic CNT films by drawing them through diamond wire-drawing dies. The entangled CNT bundles are straightened by suffering tension, which improves the alignment of the fibers. The loose fibers are squeezed by the diamond wire-drawing dies, which reduces the intertube space and contact resistance. The CNT fibers prepared by drawing have an electrical conductivity as high as 1.6 × 10 6 s m −1 . The fibers are very stable when kept in the air and under cyclic tensile test. A prototype of CNT motor is demonstrated by replacing the copper wires with the CNT fibers. (paper)

Tensile strength of woven yarn kenaf fiber reinforced polyester composites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.E. Ismail

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the tensile strength of woven kenaf fiber reinforced polyester composites. The as-received yarn kenaf fiber is weaved and then aligned into specific fiber orientations before it is hardened with polyester resin. The composite plates are shaped according to the standard geometry and uni-axially loaded in order to investigate the tensile responses. Two important parameters are studied such as fiber orientations and number of layers. According to the results, it is shown that fiber orientations greatly affected the ultimate tensile strength but it is not for modulus of elasticity for both types of layers. It is estimated that the reductions of both ultimate tensile strength and Young’s modulus are in the range of 27.7-30.9% and 2.4-3.7% respectively, if the inclined fibers are used with respect to the principal axis.

Self-Powered Active Sensor with Concentric Topography of Piezoelectric Fibers.

Science.gov (United States)

Fuh, Yiin Kuen; Huang, Zih Ming; Wang, Bo Sheng; Li, Shan Chien

2017-12-01

In this study, we demonstrated a flexible and self-powered sensor based on piezoelectric fibers in the diameter range of nano- and micro-scales. Our work is distinctively different from previous electrospinning research; we fabricated this apparatus precisely via near-field electrospinning which has a spectacular performance to harvest mechanical deformation in arbitrary direction and a novel concentrically circular topography. There are many piezoelectric devices based on electrospinning polymeric fibers. However, the fibers were mostly patterned in parallel lines and they could be actuated in limited direction only. To overcome this predicament, we re-arranged the parallel alignment into concentric circle pattern which made it possible to collect the mechanical energy whenever the deformation is along same axis or not. Despite the change of topography, the output voltage and current could still reach to 5 V and 400 nA, respectively, despite the mechanical deformation was from different direction. This new arbitrarily directional piezoelectric generator with concentrically circular topography (PGCT) allowed the piezoelectric device to harvest more mechanical energy than the one-directional alignment fiber-based devices, and this PGCT could perform even better output which promised more versatile and efficient using as a wearable electronics or sensor.

Multi-Directional Growth of Aligned Carbon Nanotubes Over Catalyst Film Prepared by Atomic Layer Deposition

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Zhou Kai

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract The structure of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs severely depends on the properties of pre-prepared catalyst films. Aiming for the preparation of precisely controlled catalyst film, atomic layer deposition (ALD was employed to deposit uniform Fe2O3 film for the growth of CNT arrays on planar substrate surfaces as well as the curved ones. Iron acetylacetonate and ozone were introduced into the reactor alternately as precursors to realize the formation of catalyst films. By varying the deposition cycles, uniform and smooth Fe2O3 catalyst films with different thicknesses were obtained on Si/SiO2 substrate, which supported the growth of highly oriented few-walled CNT arrays. Utilizing the advantage of ALD process in coating non-planar surfaces, uniform catalyst films can also be successfully deposited onto quartz fibers. Aligned few-walled CNTs can be grafted on the quartz fibers, and they self-organized into a leaf-shaped structure due to the curved surface morphology. The growth of aligned CNTs on non-planar surfaces holds promise in constructing hierarchical CNT architectures in future.

Birefringent hollow core fibers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Roberts, John

2007-01-01

Hollow core photonic crystal fiber (HC-PCF), fabricated according to a nominally non-birefringent design, shows a degree of un-controlled birefringence or polarization mode dispersion far in excess of conventional non polarization maintaining fibers. This can degrade the output pulse in many...... applications, and places emphasis on the development of polarization maintaining (PM) HC-PCF. The polarization cross-coupling characteristics of PM HC-PCF are very different from those of conventional PM fibers. The former fibers have the advantage of suffering far less from stress-field fluctuations...... and an increased overlap between the polarization modes at the glass interfaces. The interplay between these effects leads to a wavelength for optimum polarization maintenance, lambda(PM), which is detuned from the wavelength of highest birefringence. By a suitable fiber design involving antiresonance of the core...

Growth, structure, and optical properties of carbon-reinforced silica fibers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Z. J.; Ajayan, P. M.; Ramanath, G.; Vacik, J.; Xu, Y. H.

2001-01-01

We report the synthesis of carbon-reinforced silica fibers by methane exposure of metallocene-treated oxidized-Si(001) substrates at 1100 degree C. The SiO 2 cap layer transforms into silica fibers reinforced by glassy carbon in the core during methane exposure. High-resolution electron microscopy and spatially resolved spectroscopy measurements of the fibers reveal an amorphous structure without a hollow, and domains of glassy carbon embedded at the fiber core. The carbon-reinforced fibers are optically transparent and have an optical band gap of ≅3.1 eV. These fibers are organized in radial patterns that vary for different metallocene species. On nickelocene-treated substrates, the fibers originate from the circumference of the circular templates and grow outwards, forming radial patterns. On ferrocene-treated substrates, randomly oriented fibers grow within as well as slightly outside the perimeter of the templates, forming wreath-like patterns. Aligned growth of such fibers could be useful for fabricating optoelectronics devices and reinforced composites. [copyright] 2001 American Institute of Physics

Electric-field-induced flow-aligning state in a nematic liquid crystal.

Science.gov (United States)

Fatriansyah, Jaka Fajar; Orihara, Hiroshi

2015-04-01

The response of shear stress to a weak ac electric field as a probe is measured in a nematic liquid crystal under shear flow and dc electric fields. Two states with different responses are clearly observed when the dc electric field is changed at a constant shear rate: the flow aligning and non-flow aligning states. The director lies in the shear plane in the flow aligning state and out of the plane in the non-flow aligning state. Through application of dc electric field, the non-flow aligning state can be changed to the flow aligning state. In the transition from the flow aligning state to the non-flow aligning state, it is found that the response increases and the relaxation time becomes longer. Here, the experimental results in the flow aligning state are discussed on the basis of the Ericksen-Leslie theory.

Effects of Fiber Coating Composition on Mechanical Behavior of Silicon Carbide Fiber-Reinforced Celsian Composites

Science.gov (United States)

Bansal, Narottam P.; Elderidge, Jeffrey I.

1998-01-01

Celsian matrix composites reinforced with Hi-Nicalon fibers, precoated with a dual layer of BN/SiC by chemical vapor deposition in two separate batches, were fabricated. Mechanical properties of the composites were measured in three-point flexure. Despite supposedly identical processing, the composite panels fabricated with fibers coated in two batches exhibited substantially different mechanical behavior. The first matrix cracking stresses (sigma(sub mc)) of the composites reinforced with fibers coated in batch 1 and batch 2 were 436 and 122 MPa, respectively. This large difference in sigma(sub mc) was attributed to differences in fiber sliding stresses(tau(sub friction)), 121.2+/-48.7 and 10.4+/-3.1 MPa, respectively, for the two composites as determined by the fiber push-in method. Such a large difference in values of tau(sub friction) for the two composites was found to be due to the difference in the compositions of the interface coatings. Scanning Auger microprobe analysis revealed the presence of carbon layers between the fiber and BN, and also between the BN and SiC coatings in the composite showing lower tau(sub friction). This resulted in lower sigma(sub mc) in agreement with the ACK theory. The ultimate strengths of the two composites, 904 and 759 MPa, depended mainly on the fiber volume fraction and were not significantly effected by tau(sub friction) values, as expected. The poor reproducibility of the fiber coating composition between the two batches was judged to be the primary source of the large differences in performance of the two composites.

A note on the effect of the fiber curvature on the micromechanical behavior of natural fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites

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M. A. Escalante-Solis

2015-12-01

Full Text Available To better understand the role of the fiber curvature on the tensile properties of short-natural-fiber reinforced composites, a photoelastic model and a finite element analysis were performed in a well characterized henequen fiber-high density polyethylene composite material. It was hypothesized that the angle of orientation of the inclusion and the principal material orientation with respect to the applied load was very important in the reinforcement mechanics. From the photoelastic and finite element analysis it was found that the stress distribution around the fiber inclusion was different on the concave side from that observed on the convex side and an efficient length of stress transfer was estimated to be approximately equal to one third the average fiber length. This approach was used to predict the short-natural-fiber reinforced composite mechanical properties using probabilistic functions modifications of the rule of mixtures models developed by Fukuda-Chow and the Fukuda-Kawata. Recognizing the inherent flexibility that curves the natural fibers during processing, the consideration of a length of one third of the average length l should improve the accuracy of the calculations of the mechanical properties using theoretical models.

Modelling of the glass fiber length and the glass fiber length distribution in the compounding of short glass fiber-reinforced thermoplastics

Science.gov (United States)

Kloke, P.; Herken, T.; Schöppner, V.; Rudloff, J.; Kretschmer, K.; Heidemeyer, P.; Bastian, M.; Walther, Dridger, A.

2014-05-01

The use of short glass fiber-reinforced thermoplastics for the production of highly stressed parts in the plastics processing industry has experienced an enormous boom in the last few years. The reasons for this are primarily the improvements to the stiffness and strength properties brought about by fiber reinforcement. These positive characteristics of glass fiber-reinforced polymers are governed predominantly by the mean glass fiber length and the glass fiber length distribution. It is not enough to describe the properties of a plastics component solely as a function of the mean glass fiber length [1]. For this reason, a mathematical-physical model has been developed for describing the glass fiber length distribution in compounding. With this model, it is possible on the one hand to optimize processes for the production of short glass fiber-reinforced thermoplastics, and, on the other, to obtain information on the final distribution, on the basis of which much more detailed statements can be made about the subsequent properties of the molded part. Based on experimental tests, it was shown that this model is able to accurately describe the change in glass fiber length distribution in compounding.

Static yield stress of a magnetorheological fluid containing Pickering emulsion polymerized Fe2O3/polystyrene composite particles.

Science.gov (United States)

Seo, Youngwook P; Kwak, Soonjong; Choi, Hyoung Jin; Seo, Yongsok

2016-02-01

The flow behaviors of magnetorheological (MR) suspensions containing Pickering emulsion polymerized Fe2O3/polystyrene (PS) composite particles were reanalyzed using the Seo-Seo model. The experimental shear stress data obtained experimentally from the magnetorheological fluid fit well to the Seo-Seo model, indicating that this model can describe the structural reformation process of the aligned fibers at various shear rates. Unlike the dynamic yield stress obtained from the Cho-Choi-Jhon (CCJ) model, the static yield stresses obtained from the Seo-Seo model exhibit the same quadratic dependence on the magnetic field strength for both pure Fe2O3 particle suspension and Fe2O3/PS particle suspensions, which is in agreement with the predictions of the polarization model. The static yield stress plausibly explains the difference in underlying mechanism of MR fluids. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Application of Raman spectroscopy to investigation of CVD-SIC fiber].

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Bin; Yang, Yan-Qing; Luo, Xian; Huang, Bin

2011-11-01

The CVD-SiC fiber was studied by using laser Raman spectra. It was found that the sharp TO peak exists in the first SiC deposit layer, indicating the larger SiC grains. But the second SiC deposit layer is with small grains. Raman peak of carbon and silicon was detected respectively in the first and second layer. Compared with that of the single SiC fiber, the TO peaks move to the high wave number for the SiC fiber in SiC(f)/Ti-6Al-4V composite. It indicates that the compressive thermal residual stress is present in the SiC fiber during the fabrication of the composite because of the mismatched coefficient of thermal expansion between Ti-6Al-4V matrix and SiC fiber. The average thermal residual stress of the SiC fiber in SiC(f)/Ti-6Al-4V composite was calculated to be 318 MPa and the residual stress in first deposit layer is 436 MPa which is much higher than that in the second layer.

Optical fibers and their applications for radiation measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kakuta, Tsunemi

1998-01-01

As a new method of radiation measurements, several optical methods using optical fiber sensors have been developed. One is the application of 'radio-luminescence' from the optical fiber itself such as plastic scintillating fibers. Other researches are made to develop the 'combined-sensors' by combination of optical fibers and scintillating materials. Using the time domain method of optical fiber sensors, the profile of radiation distribution along the optical fiber can be easily determined. A multi-parameter sensing system for measurement of radiation, temperature, stress, etc, are also expected using these optical fiber sensors. (author)

Polymer optical fiber tapering using chemical solvent and polishing

Science.gov (United States)

Supian, L. S.; Syuhaimi Ab-Rahman, Mohd; Arsad, Norhana

2017-11-01

A method for developing polymer optical fiber (POF) directional coupler is introduced where the initial procedure includes using chemical solvent to remove the cladding, and bare out the core in order to align the unclad center of the fiber with other similar fiber to develop a coupler. The process is safe, simple, inexpensive and require low operation skill. The etched fiber offers improvement to the performance of various POF devices, i.e, couplers and sensors. Instead of relying only on silica or glass fiber, POF now can be used as an alternative to improve the network performance in short distance communication system. The measurement parameters laid out offer great outcomes. However, the couplers intended to be developed is yet to be realized, where deeper research and various experiments are needed in order to develop a simple but optimum performance coupler that can be used for various applications.

Polymer optical fiber tapering using chemical solvent and polishing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Supian L. S.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available A method for developing polymer optical fiber (POF directional coupler is introduced where the initial procedure includes using chemical solvent to remove the cladding, and bare out the core in order to align the unclad center of the fiber with other similar fiber to develop a coupler. The process is safe, simple, inexpensive and require low operation skill. The etched fiber offers improvement to the performance of various POF devices, i.e, couplers and sensors. Instead of relying only on silica or glass fiber, POF now can be used as an alternative to improve the network performance in short distance communication system. The measurement parameters laid out offer great outcomes. However, the couplers intended to be developed is yet to be realized, where deeper research and various experiments are needed in order to develop a simple but optimum performance coupler that can be used for various applications.

Fiber-Based Polarization Diversity Detection for Polarization-Sensitive Optical Coherence Tomography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hamid Pahlevaninezhad

2014-09-01

Full Text Available We present a new fiber-based polarization diversity detection (PDD scheme for polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography (PSOCT. This implementation uses a new custom miniaturized polarization-maintaining fiber coupler with single mode (SM fiber inputs and polarization maintaining (PM fiber outputs. The SM fiber inputs obviate matching the optical lengths of the two orthogonal OCT polarization channels prior to interference while the PM fiber outputs ensure defined orthogonal axes after interference. Advantages of this detection scheme over those with bulk optics PDD include lower cost, easier miniaturization, and more relaxed alignment and handling issues. We incorporate this PDD scheme into a galvanometer-scanned OCT system to demonstrate system calibration and PSOCT imaging of an achromatic quarter-wave plate, fingernail in vivo, and chicken breast, salmon, cow leg, and basa fish muscle samples ex vivo.

Fracture Behavior in Nylon 6 Fibers. Ph.D. Thesis

Science.gov (United States)

Lloyd, B. A.

1972-01-01

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) techniques are used to determine the number of free radicals produced during deformation leading to fracture of nylon 6 fibers. A reaction rate molecular model is proposed to explain some of the deformation and bond rupture behavior leading to fracture. High-strength polymer fibers are assumed to consist of a sandwich structure of disordered and ordered regions along the fiber axis. In the disordered or critical flaw regions, tie chains connecting the ordered or crystalline block regions are assumed to have a statistical distribution in length. These chains are, therefore, subjected to different stresses. The effective length distribution was determined by EPR. The probability of bond rupture was assumed to be controlled by reaction-rate theory with a stress-aided activation energy and behavior of various loadings determined by numerical techniques. The model is successfully correlated with experimental stress, strain, and bond rupture results for creep, constant rate loadings, cyclic stress, stress relaxation and step strain tests at room temperature.

Large-Scale Direct-Writing of Aligned Nanofibers for Flexible Electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Dong; Ding, Yajiang; Duan, Yongqing; Su, Jiangtao; Yin, Zhouping; Huang, Yong An

2018-05-01

Nanofibers/nanowires usually exhibit exceptionally low flexural rigidities and remarkable tolerance against mechanical bending, showing superior advantages in flexible electronics applications. Electrospinning is regarded as a powerful process for this 1D nanostructure; however, it can only be able to produce chaotic fibers that are incompatible with the well-patterned microstructures in flexible electronics. Electro-hydrodynamic (EHD) direct-writing technology enables large-scale deposition of highly aligned nanofibers in an additive, noncontact, real-time adjustment, and individual control manner on rigid or flexible, planar or curved substrates, making it rather attractive in the fabrication of flexible electronics. In this Review, the ground-breaking research progress in the field of EHD direct-writing technology is summarized, including a brief chronology of EHD direct-writing techniques, basic principles and alignment strategies, and applications in flexible electronics. Finally, future prospects are suggested to advance flexible electronics based on orderly arranged EHD direct-written fibers. This technology overcomes the limitations of the resolution of fabrication and viscosity of ink of conventional inkjet printing, and represents major advances in manufacturing of flexible electronics. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Effect of fiber coating on interfacial shear strength of SiC/SiC by nano-indentation technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hinoki, T.; Zhang, W.; Kohyama, A.; Noda, T.

1998-01-01

In order to quantitatively evaluate mechanical properties of fibers, matrices and their interfaces in fiber reinforced SiC/SiC composites, fiber push-out tests have been carried out. From the indentation load vs. displacement relations, the fiber push-out process has been discussed in comparison with the C/C composites and the loads for fiber push-in and those for fiber push-out were estimated. The trends of load-displacement curve of fiber push-out process depended on specimen thickness. The curve in the case of thick specimen had a micro step indicating fiber push-in and a larger step corresponding to fiber push-out. However just a larger step indicating fiber push-out was seen without fiber push-in process in the case of thin specimen. Interfacial shear stress was discussed and defined in both cases. The effects of fiber coatings on interfacial shear stress obtained from thin specimens were analyzed. The relationship between bending stress and interfacial shear stress of SiC (pcs) /SiC (CVI) is preliminarily postulated together with microstructural characteristics of the composites. (orig.)

Mean Green operators of deformable fiber networks embedded in a compliant matrix and property estimates

Science.gov (United States)

Franciosi, Patrick; Spagnuolo, Mario; Salman, Oguz Umut

2018-04-01

Composites comprising included phases in a continuous matrix constitute a huge class of meta-materials, whose effective properties, whether they be mechanical, physical or coupled, can be selectively optimized by using appropriate phase arrangements and architectures. An important subclass is represented by "network-reinforced matrices," say those materials in which one or more of the embedded phases are co-continuous with the matrix in one or more directions. In this article, we present a method to study effective properties of simple such structures from which more complex ones can be accessible. Effective properties are shown, in the framework of linear elasticity, estimable by using the global mean Green operator for the entire embedded fiber network which is by definition through sample spanning. This network operator is obtained from one of infinite planar alignments of infinite fibers, which the network can be seen as an interpenetrated set of, with the fiber interactions being fully accounted for in the alignments. The mean operator of such alignments is given in exact closed form for isotropic elastic-like or dielectric-like matrices. We first exemplify how these operators relevantly provide, from classic homogenization frameworks, effective properties in the case of 1D fiber bundles embedded in an isotropic elastic-like medium. It is also shown that using infinite patterns with fully interacting elements over their whole influence range at any element concentration suppresses the dilute approximation limit of these frameworks. We finally present a construction method for a global operator of fiber networks described as interpenetrated such bundles.

Rapid shear alignment of sub-10 nm cylinder-forming block copolymer films based on thermal expansion mismatch

Science.gov (United States)

Nicaise, Samuel M.; Gadelrab, Karim R.; G, Amir Tavakkoli K.; Ross, Caroline A.; Alexander-Katz, Alfredo; Berggren, Karl K.

2018-01-01

Directed self-assembly of block copolymers (BCPs) provided by shear-stress can produce aligned sub-10 nm structures over large areas for applications in integrated circuits, next-generation data storage, and plasmonic structures. In this work, we present a fast, versatile BCP shear-alignment process based on coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch of the BCP film, a rigid top coat and a substrate. Monolayer and bilayer cylindrical microdomains of poly(styrene-b-dimethylsiloxane) aligned preferentially in-plane and orthogonal to naturally-forming or engineered cracks in the top coat film, allowing for orientation control over 1 cm2 substrates. Annealing temperatures, up to 275 °C, provided low-defect alignment up to 2 mm away from cracks for rapid (<1 min) annealing times. Finite-element simulations of the stress as a function of annealing time, annealing temperature, and distance from cracks showed that shear stress during the cooling phase of the thermal annealing was critical for the observed microdomain alignment.

Detection of Ultrasonic Stress Waves in Structures Using 3D Shaped Optic Fiber Based on a Mach-Zehnder Interferometer.

Science.gov (United States)

Lan, Chengming; Zhou, Wensong; Xie, Yawen

2018-04-16

This work proposes a 3D shaped optic fiber sensor for ultrasonic stress waves detection based on the principle of a Mach–Zehnder interferometer. This sensor can be used to receive acoustic emission signals in the passive damage detection methods and other types of ultrasonic signals propagating in the active damage detection methods, such as guided wave-based methods. The sensitivity of an ultrasonic fiber sensor based on the Mach–Zehnder interferometer mainly depends on the length of the sensing optical fiber; therefore, the proposed sensor achieves the maximum possible sensitivity by wrapping an optical fiber on a hollow cylinder with a base. The deformation of the optical fiber is produced by the displacement field of guided waves in the hollow cylinder. The sensor was first analyzed using the finite element method, which demonstrated its basic sensing capacity, and the simulation signals have the same characteristics in the frequency domain as the excitation signal. Subsequently, the primary investigations were conducted via a series of experiments. The sensor was used to detect guided wave signals excited by a piezoelectric wafer in an aluminum plate, and subsequently it was tested on a reinforced concrete beam, which produced acoustic emission signals via impact loading and crack extension when it was loaded to failure. The signals obtained from a piezoelectric acoustic emission sensor were used for comparison, and the results indicated that the proposed 3D fiber optic sensor can detect ultrasonic signals in the specific frequency response range.

Detection of Ultrasonic Stress Waves in Structures Using 3D Shaped Optic Fiber Based on a Mach–Zehnder Interferometer

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Yawen

2018-01-01

This work proposes a 3D shaped optic fiber sensor for ultrasonic stress waves detection based on the principle of a Mach–Zehnder interferometer. This sensor can be used to receive acoustic emission signals in the passive damage detection methods and other types of ultrasonic signals propagating in the active damage detection methods, such as guided wave-based methods. The sensitivity of an ultrasonic fiber sensor based on the Mach–Zehnder interferometer mainly depends on the length of the sensing optical fiber; therefore, the proposed sensor achieves the maximum possible sensitivity by wrapping an optical fiber on a hollow cylinder with a base. The deformation of the optical fiber is produced by the displacement field of guided waves in the hollow cylinder. The sensor was first analyzed using the finite element method, which demonstrated its basic sensing capacity, and the simulation signals have the same characteristics in the frequency domain as the excitation signal. Subsequently, the primary investigations were conducted via a series of experiments. The sensor was used to detect guided wave signals excited by a piezoelectric wafer in an aluminum plate, and subsequently it was tested on a reinforced concrete beam, which produced acoustic emission signals via impact loading and crack extension when it was loaded to failure. The signals obtained from a piezoelectric acoustic emission sensor were used for comparison, and the results indicated that the proposed 3D fiber optic sensor can detect ultrasonic signals in the specific frequency response range. PMID:29659540

Electrospinning polyelectrolyte complexes: pH-responsive fibers.

Science.gov (United States)

Boas, Mor; Gradys, Arkadiusz; Vasilyev, Gleb; Burman, Michael; Zussman, Eyal

2015-03-07

Fibers were electrospun from a solution comprised of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes, in efforts to achieve highly confined macromolecular packaging. A stoichiometric ratio of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) and poly(acrylic acid) solution was mixed in an ethanol-water co-solvent. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis of electrospun fibers demonstrated no indication of glass transition, Tg. Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis of the fibers as a function of temperature, demonstrated an amidation process at lower temperature compared to cast film. Polarized FTIR indicated a preference of the functional groups to be perpendicular to the fiber axis. These results imply formation of mixed phase fibers with enhanced conditions for intermolecular interactions, due to the highly aligned and confined assembly of the macromolecules. The tunable intermolecular interactions between the functional groups of the polyelectrolytes, impact pH-driven, reversible swelling-deswelling of the fibers. The degree of ionization of PAA at pH 5.5 and pH 1.8 varied from 85% to 18%, correspondingly, causing transformation of ionic interactions to hydrogen bonding between the functional groups. The chemical change led to a massive water diffusion of 500% by weight and to a marked increase of 400% in fiber diameter, at a rate of 0.50 μm s(-1). These results allow for manipulation and tailoring of key fiber properties for tissue engineering, membranes, and artificial muscle applications.

Finite element analysis of stress concentration in three popular brands of fiber posts systems used for maxillary central incisor teeth.

Science.gov (United States)

Aggarwal, Shalini; Garg, Vaibhav

2011-07-01

To study the stress concentrations in endodontically treated maxillary central incisor teeth restored with 3 different fiber post systems subjected to various oblique occlusal loads. FEM analysis was used to analyze stress concentrations generated in maxillary anterior teeth. Computer aided designing was used to create a 2-D model of an upper central incisor. Post systems analyzed were the DT Light Post (RDT, Bisco), Luscent Anchor (Dentatus) & RelyX (3M-ESPE). The entire design assembly was subjected to analysis by ANSYS for oblique loading forces of 25N, 80N & 125 N RESULTS: The resultant data showed that the RelyX generated the least amount of stress concentration. Minimal stress buildups contribute to the longevity of the restorations. Thus RelyX by virtue of judicious stress distribution is the better option for restoration of grossly decayed teeth.

Thermal and chemical treatment of polymer optical fiber Bragg grating sensors for enhanced mechanical sensitivity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pospori, Andreas; Marques, C. A. F.; Saez-Rodriguez, D.

2017-01-01

An investigation of the thermal annealing effects on the strain, stress, and force sensitivities of polymer optical fiber Bragg grating sensors is performed. We demonstrate for the first time that the fiber annealing can enhance both stress and force sensitivities of Bragg grating sensors......, with the possible cause being the molecular relaxation of the polymer when fiber is raised above the β-transition temperature. A simple, cost-effective, but well controlled method for fiber annealing is also presented in this work. In addition, the effects of chemical etching on the strain, stress, and force...... sensitivities have been investigated. Results show that fiber etching too can increase the force sensitivity, and it can also affect the strain and stress sensitivities of the Bragg grating sensors....

Thermal and chemical treatment of polymer optical fiber Bragg grating sensors for enhanced mechanical sensitivity

Science.gov (United States)

Pospori, A.; Marques, C. A. F.; Sáez-Rodríguez, D.; Nielsen, K.; Bang, O.; Webb, D. J.

2017-07-01

An investigation of the thermal annealing effects on the strain, stress, and force sensitivities of polymer optical fiber Bragg grating sensors is performed. We demonstrate for the first time that the fiber annealing can enhance both stress and force sensitivities of Bragg grating sensors, with the possible cause being the molecular relaxation of the polymer when fiber is raised above the β -transition temperature. A simple, cost-effective, but well controlled method for fiber annealing is also presented in this work. In addition, the effects of chemical etching on the strain, stress, and force sensitivities have been investigated. Results show that fiber etching too can increase the force sensitivity, and it can also affect the strain and stress sensitivities of the Bragg grating sensors.

Effect of hybrid fiber reinforcement on the cracking process in fiber reinforced cementitious composites

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pereira, Eduardo B.; Fischer, Gregor; Barros, Joaquim A.O.

2012-01-01

The simultaneous use of different types of fibers as reinforcement in cementitious matrix composites is typically motivated by the underlying principle of a multi-scale nature of the cracking processes in fiber reinforced cementitious composites. It has been hypothesized that while undergoing...... tensile deformations in the composite, the fibers with different geometrical and mechanical properties restrain the propagation and further development of cracking at different scales from the micro- to the macro-scale. The optimized design of the fiber reinforcing systems requires the objective...... materials is carried out by assessing directly their tensile stress-crack opening behavior. The efficiency of hybrid fiber reinforcements and the multi-scale nature of cracking processes are discussed based on the experimental results obtained, as well as the micro-mechanisms underlying the contribution...

Testing and performance analysis of a hollow fiber-based core for evaporative cooling and liquid desiccant dehumidification

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jradi, Muhyiddine; Riffat, Saffa

2016-01-01

In this study, an innovative heat and mass transfer core is proposed to provide thermal comfort and humidity control using a hollow fiber contactor with multiple bundles of micro-porous hollow fibers. The hollow fiberbased core utilizes 12 bundles aligned vertically, each with 1,000 packed...

Regenerated collagen fibers with grooved surface texture: Physicochemical characterization and cytocompatibility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Xiang; Wu, Tong; Wang, Wei; Huang, Chen; Jin, Xiangyu

2016-01-01

A novel type of protein fibers, regenerated collagen fibers (RC) from cattle skin, was prepared through wet-spinning. Due to the combined effect of solvent exchange and subsequent drawing process, the fibers were found to have a grooved surface texture. The grooves provided not only ordered topographical cues, but also increased surface area. Protein content of the RC fibers was confirmed by Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and ninhydrin color reaction. The fibers could be readily fabricated into nonwovens or other textiles, owning to their comparable physical properties to other commercialized fibers. Cell growth behavior on RC nonwovens suggested both early adhesion and prompt proliferation. The high moisture regain, good processability, along with the excellent cytocompatibility indicated that the RC fibers and nonwovens developed in this study might offer a good candidate for biomedical and healthcare applications. - Highlights: • Wet-spun regenerated collagen fibers having aligned surface grooves • Comparable physiochemical properties to commercialized fibers • Readily processed into nonwovens • Excellent cytocompatibility with prompt cell adhesion and proliferation

Regenerated collagen fibers with grooved surface texture: Physicochemical characterization and cytocompatibility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Xiang [Engineering Research Center of Technical Textiles, Ministry of Education, College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620 (China); Wu, Tong [College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620 (China); Wang, Wei [Engineering Research Center of Technical Textiles, Ministry of Education, College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620 (China); Huang, Chen, E-mail: hc@dhu.edu.cn [Engineering Research Center of Technical Textiles, Ministry of Education, College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620 (China); Jin, Xiangyu [Engineering Research Center of Technical Textiles, Ministry of Education, College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620 (China)

2016-01-01

A novel type of protein fibers, regenerated collagen fibers (RC) from cattle skin, was prepared through wet-spinning. Due to the combined effect of solvent exchange and subsequent drawing process, the fibers were found to have a grooved surface texture. The grooves provided not only ordered topographical cues, but also increased surface area. Protein content of the RC fibers was confirmed by Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and ninhydrin color reaction. The fibers could be readily fabricated into nonwovens or other textiles, owning to their comparable physical properties to other commercialized fibers. Cell growth behavior on RC nonwovens suggested both early adhesion and prompt proliferation. The high moisture regain, good processability, along with the excellent cytocompatibility indicated that the RC fibers and nonwovens developed in this study might offer a good candidate for biomedical and healthcare applications. - Highlights: • Wet-spun regenerated collagen fibers having aligned surface grooves • Comparable physiochemical properties to commercialized fibers • Readily processed into nonwovens • Excellent cytocompatibility with prompt cell adhesion and proliferation.

Numerical analysis of residual stresses in preforms of stress applying part for PANDA-type polarization maintaining optical fibers in view of technological imperfections of the doped zone geometry

Science.gov (United States)

Trufanov, Aleksandr N.; Trufanov, Nikolay A.; Semenov, Nikita V.

2016-09-01

The experimental data analysis of the stress applying rod section geometry for the PANDA-type polarization maintaining optical fiber has been performed. The dependencies of the change in the radial dimensions of the preform and the doping boundary on the angular coordinate have been obtained. The original algorithm of experimental data statistic analysis, which enables determination of the specimens' characteristic form of section, has been described. The influence of actual doped zone geometry on the residual stress fields formed during the stress rod preform fabrication has been investigated. It has been established that the deviation of the boundary between pure silica and the doped zone from the circular shape results in dissymmetry and local concentrations of the residual stress fields along the section, which can cause preforms destruction at high degrees of doping. The observed geometry deviations of up to 10% lead to the increase of the maximum stress intensity value by over 20%.

Embedded Aligned Carbon Nanotube Sheets for Strain and Damage sensing in Composite Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Aly, Karim Aly Abdelomoaty Elsayed

The world demand for fiber reinforced composite materials has been steadily increasing because of the widespread adoption of this class of material in many markets. The automotive, aerospace, marine and energy sectors account for a large percentage of this grow. Outstanding fatigue performance, high specific stiffness and strength, and low density are among the most important properties that fiber reinforced polymer composites offer. Furthermore, their properties can be tailored to meet the specific needs of the final applications. However, this class of material is composed of multiple layers of inhomogeneous and anisotropic constituents, i.e. fibers and matrix. Therefore, this laminated nature make the composite material prone to intrinsic damage including interfacial debonding and delamination and their strength and failure are dependent on the fiber architecture and direction of the applied stresses. Consequently, it is of prime importance to monitor the health of these structures. New and improved methods for early detection of damage and structural health monitoring of composite materials may allow for enhanced reliability, lifetime and performance while minimizing maintenance time during a composite part's service life. Over the last few decades different non-destructive methods and materials have been investigated for use as strain sensors. Since the discovery of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), they have attracted much research interest due to their superior electrical, thermal and mechanical properties as well as their high aspect ratio. In this context, CNTs have been used in the recent years to enable sensing capabilities. In this dissertation, the usage of CNTs for performing strain and damage sensing in composites is evaluated. This was enabled by embedding aligned sheets of two millimeters long, interconnected CNTs into laminated structures that were then subjected to different forms of mechanical loading. The localization of the CNT sheets inside the host

The effects of high temperature and fiber diameter on the quasi static compressive behavior of metal fiber sintered sheets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Song, Weidong, E-mail: swdgh@bit.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Explosion Science and Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081 (China); Liu, Ge [State Key Laboratory of Explosion Science and Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081 (China); Wang, Jianzhong; Tang, Huiping [State Key Laboratory of Porous Metal Materials, Northwest Institute for Non-ferrous Metal Research, Xi’an 710016 (China)

2017-04-06

The compressive mechanical properties of the sintered sheets of continuous stainless steel fibers with different fiber diameters (8 µm, 12 µm, 28 µm) are investigated at temperatures from 298 K to 1073 K. The stress-strain curves of metal fiber sintered sheet (MFSS) are obtained by testing under uniaxial compression and 0.2% offset yield stress are determined. Inner micro-structures of the material are revealed by using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and microscopic computer tomography. The results indicates that fabrication technique and porosity are two principle factors affecting the yield strength of MFSS and the strength of MFSS is insensitive to the temperature below 873 K while softening occurs at temperature 1073 K. At relative high porosity (e.g. 77%), the material with small diameter fibers tends to have higher yield strength while at low porosity, MFSS's yield strength becomes high with the increase of the fiber diameter, which is probably attributed to the joint size, the surface appearance of fibers and prehardening generated during the manufacturing of MFSS. A simplified structure model taking joint size into consideration is established to explain the influence of the joint size on the yield strength of MFSS.

Slab-coupled optical sensor fabrication using side-polished Panda fibers.

Science.gov (United States)

King, Rex; Seng, Frederick; Stan, Nikola; Cuzner, Kevin; Josephson, Chad; Selfridge, Richard; Schultz, Stephen

2016-11-01

A new device structure used for slab-coupled optical sensor (SCOS) technology was developed to fabricate electric field sensors. This new device structure replaces the D-fiber used in traditional SCOS technology with a side-polished Panda fiber. Unlike the D-fiber SCOS, the Panda fiber SCOS is made from commercially available materials and is simpler to fabricate. The Panda SCOS interfaces easier with lab equipment and exhibits ∼3  dB less loss at link points than the D-fiber SCOS. The optical system for the D-fiber is bandwidth limited by a transimpedance amplifier (TIA) used to amplify to the electric signal. The Panda SCOS exhibits less loss than the D-fiber and, as a result, does not require as high a gain setting on the TIA, which results in an overall higher bandwidth range. Results show that the Panda sensor also achieves comparable sensitivity results to the D-fiber SCOS. Although the Panda SCOS is not as sensitive as other side-polished fiber electric field sensors, it can be fabricated much easier because the fabrication process does not require special alignment techniques, and it is made from commercially available materials.

Type IIA photosensitivity and formation of pores in optical fibers under intense ultraviolet irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kukushkin, S. A.; Shlyagin, M. G.; Swart, P. L.; Chtcherbakov, A. A.; Osipov, A. V.

2007-01-01

Formation of the type IIA Bragg gratings in germanosilicate optical fibers is studied. We report the observation of such a type of gratings in the standard single-mode fiber (Corning SMF-28) under different experimental conditions. A mechanism for the type IIA photosensitivity in optical fibers is proposed which is based on nucleation and evolution of pores from vacancy-type defects in fiber areas where a high level of mechanical stress is induced under intense ultraviolet (UV) light. Evolution of fiber core temperature under influence of a single 20 ns light pulse from a KrF excimer laser was measured and compared with theoretical calculations. It was shown that transient thermoinduced stress in the fiber core can achieve a level sufficient for effective nucleation of pores. A theory describing formation of pores in optical fibers has been developed and was used to estimate the pore nucleation rate, concentration, and other parameters of pore evolution for different levels of UV fluence and fiber core stress

The Fiber Optic System for the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS) Instrument

Science.gov (United States)

Ott, Melanie N.; Thomes, Joe; Onuma, Eleanya; Switzer, Robert; Chuska, Richard; Blair, Diana; Frese, Erich; Matyseck, Marc

2016-01-01

The Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS) Instrument has been in integration and testing over the past 18 months in preparation for the Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite - 2 (ICESat-2) Mission, scheduled to launch in 2017. ICESat-2 is the follow on to ICESat which launched in 2003 and operated until 2009. ATLAS will measure the elevation of ice sheets, glaciers and sea ice or the "cryosphere" (as well as terrain) to provide data for assessing the earth's global climate changes. Where ICESat's instrument, the Geo-Science Laser Altimeter (GLAS) used a single beam measured with a 70 m spot on the ground and a distance between spots of 170 m, ATLAS will measure a spot size of 10 m with a spacing of 70 cm using six beams to measure terrain height changes as small as 4 mm. The ATLAS pulsed transmission system consists of two lasers operating at 532 nm with transmitter optics for beam steering, a diffractive optical element that splits the signal into 6 separate beams, receivers for start pulse detection and a wavelength tracking system. The optical receiver telescope system consists of optics that focus all six beams into optical fibers that feed a filter system that transmits the signal via fiber assemblies to the detectors. Also included on the instrument is a system that calibrates the alignment of the transmitted pulses to the receiver optics for precise signal capture. The larger electro optical subsystems for transmission, calibration, and signal receive, stay aligned and transmitting sufficiently due to the optical fiber system that links them together. The robust design of the fiber optic system, consisting of a variety of multi fiber arrays and simplex assemblies with multiple fiber core sizes and types, will enable the system to maintain consistent critical alignments for the entire life of the mission. Some of the development approaches used to meet the challenging optical system requirements for ATLAS are discussed here.

The fiber optic system for the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS) instrument.

Science.gov (United States)

Ott, Melanie N; Thomes, Joe; Onuma, Eleanya; Switzer, Robert; Chuska, Richard; Blair, Diana; Frese, Erich; Matyseck, Marc

2016-08-28

The Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS) Instrument has been in integration and testing over the past 18 months in preparation for the Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite - 2 (ICESat-2) Mission, scheduled to launch in 2017. ICESat-2 is the follow on to ICESat which launched in 2003 and operated until 2009. ATLAS will measure the elevation of ice sheets, glaciers and sea ice or the "cryosphere" (as well as terrain) to provide data for assessing the earth's global climate changes. Where ICESat's instrument, the Geo-Science Laser Altimeter (GLAS) used a single beam measured with a 70 m spot on the ground and a distance between spots of 170 m, ATLAS will measure a spot size of 10 m with a spacing of 70 cm using six beams to measure terrain height changes as small as 4 mm.[1] The ATLAS pulsed transmission system consists of two lasers operating at 532 nm with transmitter optics for beam steering, a diffractive optical element that splits the signal into 6 separate beams, receivers for start pulse detection and a wavelength tracking system. The optical receiver telescope system consists of optics that focus all six beams into optical fibers that feed a filter system that transmits the signal via fiber assemblies to the detectors. Also included on the instrument is a system that calibrates the alignment of the transmitted pulses to the receiver optics for precise signal capture. The larger electro optical subsystems for transmission, calibration, and signal receive, stay aligned and transmitting sufficiently due to the optical fiber system that links them together. The robust design of the fiber optic system, consisting of a variety of multi fiber arrays and simplex assemblies with multiple fiber core sizes and types, will enable the system to maintain consistent critical alignments for the entire life of the mission. Some of the development approaches used to meet the challenging optical system requirements for ATLAS are discussed here.

Molecular orientation in aligned electrospun polyimide nanofibers by polarized FT-IR spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Haoqi; Jiang, Shaohua; Fang, Hong; Hu, Xiaowu; Duan, Gaigai; Hou, Haoqing

2018-07-05

Quantitative explanation on the improved mechanical properties of aligned electrospun polyimide (PI) nanofibers as the increased imidization temperatures is highly required. In this work, polarized FT-IR spectroscopy is applied to solve this problem. Based on the polarized FT-IR spectroscopy and the molecular model in the fibers, the length of the repeat unit of PI molecule, the angle between the fiber axis and the symmetric stretching direction of carbonyl group on the imide ring, and the angle between the PI molecular axis and fiber axis are all investigated. The Mark-Howink equation is used to calculate the number-average molar mass of PI molecules. The orientation states of PI molecules in the electrospun nanofibers are studied from the number-average molar mass of PI molecules and the average fiber diameter. Quantitative analysis of the orientation factor of PI molecules in the electrospun nanofibers is performed by polarized FT-IR spectroscopy. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Microfluidic-enhanced 3D bioprinting of aligned myoblast-laden hydrogels leads to functionally organized myofibers in vitro and in vivo.

Science.gov (United States)

Costantini, Marco; Testa, Stefano; Mozetic, Pamela; Barbetta, Andrea; Fuoco, Claudia; Fornetti, Ersilia; Tamiro, Francesco; Bernardini, Sergio; Jaroszewicz, Jakub; Święszkowski, Wojciech; Trombetta, Marcella; Castagnoli, Luisa; Seliktar, Dror; Garstecki, Piotr; Cesareni, Gianni; Cannata, Stefano; Rainer, Alberto; Gargioli, Cesare

2017-07-01

We present a new strategy for the fabrication of artificial skeletal muscle tissue with functional morphologies based on an innovative 3D bioprinting approach. The methodology is based on a microfluidic printing head coupled to a co-axial needle extruder for high-resolution 3D bioprinting of hydrogel fibers laden with muscle precursor cells (C2C12). To promote myogenic differentiation, we formulated a tailored bioink with a photocurable semi-synthetic biopolymer (PEG-Fibrinogen) encapsulating cells into 3D constructs composed of aligned hydrogel fibers. After 3-5 days of culture, the encapsulated myoblasts started migrating and fusing, forming multinucleated myotubes within the 3D bioprinted fibers. The obtained myotubes showed high degree of alignment along the direction of hydrogel fiber deposition, further revealing maturation, sarcomerogenesis, and functionality. Following subcutaneous implantation in the back of immunocompromised mice, bioprinted constructs generated organized artificial muscle tissue in vivo. Finally, we demonstrate that our microfluidic printing head allows to design three dimensional multi-cellular assemblies with an exquisite compartmentalization of the encapsulated cells. Our results demonstrate an enhanced myogenic differentiation with the formation of parallel aligned long-range myotubes. The approach that we report here represents a robust and valid candidate for the fabrication of macroscopic artificial muscle to scale up skeletal muscle tissue engineering for human clinical application. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Apparent interfacial shear strength of short-flax-fiber/starch acetate composites

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersons, J.; Modniks, J.; Joffe, R.

2016-01-01

The paper deals with an indirect industry-friendly method for identification of the interfacial shear strength (IFSS) in a fully bio-based composite. The IFSS of flax fiber/starch acetate is evaluated by a modified Bowyer and Bader method based on an analysis of the stress-strain curve of a short......-fiber-reinforced composite in tension. A shear lag model is developed for the tensile stress-strain response of short-fiber-reinforced composites allowing for an elastic-perfectly plastic stress transfer. Composites with different fiber volume fractions and a variable content of plasticizer have been analyzed. The apparent...... IFSS of flax/starch acetate is within the range of 5.5-20.5 MPa, depending on composition of the material. The IFSS is found to be greater for composites with a higher fiber loading and to decrease with increasing content of plasticizer. The IFSS is equal or greater than the yield strength of the neat...

Effects of mold geometry on fiber orientation of powder injection molded metal matrix composites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahmad, Faiz, E-mail: faizahmad@petronas.com.my; Aslam, Muhammad, E-mail: klaira73@gmail.com; Altaf, Khurram, E-mail: khurram.altaf@petronas.com.my; Shirazi, Irfan, E-mail: irfanshirazi@hotmail.com [Mechanical Engineering Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS Malaysia (Malaysia)

2015-07-22

Fiber orientations in metal matrix composites have significant effect on improving tensile properties. Control of fiber orientations in metal injection molded metal composites is a difficult task. In this study, two mold cavities of dimensions 6x6x90 mm and 10x20x180 mm were used for comparison of fiber orientation in injection molded metal composites test parts. In both mold cavities, convergent and divergent flows were developed by modifying the sprue dimensions. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to examine the fiber orientations within the test samples. The results showed highly aligned fiber in injection molded test bars developed from the convergent melt flow. Random orientation of fibers was noted in the composites test bars produced from divergent melt flow.

Polarized emission from CsPbBr3 nanowire embedded-electrospun PU fibers

Science.gov (United States)

Güner, Tuğrul; Topçu, Gökhan; Savacı, Umut; Genç, Aziz; Turan, Servet; Sari, Emre; Demir, Mustafa M.

2018-04-01

Interest in all-inorganic halide perovskites has been increasing dramatically due to their high quantum yield, band gap tunability, and ease of fabrication in compositional and geometric diversity. In this study, we synthesized several hundreds of nanometer long and ˜4 nm thick CsPbBr 3 nanowires (NWs). They were then integrated into electrospun polyurethane (PU) fibers to examine the polarization behavior of the composite fiber assembly. Aligned electrospun fibers containing CsPbBr 3 NWs showed a remarkable increase in the degree of polarization from 0.17-0.30. This combination of NWs and PU fibers provides a promising composite material for various applications such as optoelectronic devices and solar cells.

Polarized Emission from CsPbBr3 Nanowires Embedded-Electrospun PU fibers.

Science.gov (United States)

Güner, Tugrul; Topçu, Gökhan; Savacı, Umut; Genç, Aziz; Turan, Servet; Sarı, Emre; Demir, Mustafa M

2018-01-29

The interest in all-inorganic halide perovskites has been increasing dramatically due to their high quantum yield, band gap tunability, and ease of fabrication in compositional and geometric diversity. In this study, we synthesized µm long and ~4 nm thick CsPbBr3 nanowires (NWs). They were, then, integrated into electrospun polyurethane (PU) fibers to examine polarization behavior of the composite fiber assembly. Aligned electrospun fibers containing CsPbBr3 nanowires show remarkable increase in degree of polarization from 0.17 to 0.30. This combination of NWs and PU fibers provides a promising composite material for various applications such as optoelectronic devices and solar cells. © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd.

A novel method for preparing microplastic fibers

Science.gov (United States)

Cole, Matthew

2016-10-01

Microscopic plastic (microplastic, 0.1 µm-5 mm) is a widespread pollutant impacting upon aquatic ecosystems across the globe. Environmental sampling has revealed synthetic fibers are prevalent in seawater, sediments and biota. However, microplastic fibers are rarely used in laboratory studies as they are unavailable for purchase and existing preparation techniques have limited application. To facilitate the incorporation of environmentally relevant microplastic fibers into future studies, new methods are required. Here, a novel cryotome protocol has been developed. Nylon, polyethylene terephthalate and polypropylene fibers (10-28 μm diameter) were aligned, embedded in water-soluble freezing agent, and sectioned (40-100 μm length) using a cryogenic microtome. Microplastic fibers were prepared to specified lengths (P < 0.05, ANOVA) and proved consistent in size. Fluorescent labelling of Nylon microfibers with Nile Red facilitated imaging. A 24 h feeding experiment confirmed bioavailability of 10 × 40 μm Nylon fibers to brine shrimp (Artemia sp). This protocol provides a consistent method for preparing standardised fibrous microplastics, with widths similar to those observed in the natural environment, which could ultimately lead to a better understanding of the biological and ecological effects of microplastic debris in the environment.

Matrix density effects on the mechanical properties of SiC fiber-reinforced silicon nitride matrix properties

Science.gov (United States)

Bhatt, Ramakrishna T.; Kiser, Lames D.

1990-01-01

The room temperature mechanical properties were measured for SiC fiber reinforced reaction-bonded silicon nitride composites (SiC/RBSN) of different densities. The composites consisted of approx. 30 vol percent uniaxially aligned 142 micron diameter SiC fibers (Textron SCS-6) in a reaction-bonded Si3N4 matrix. The composite density was varied by changing the consolidation pressure during RBSN processing and by hot isostatically pressing the SiC/RBSN composites. Results indicate that as the consolidation pressure was increased from 27 to 138 MPa, the average pore size of the nitrided composites decreased from 0.04 to 0.02 microns and the composite density increased from 2.07 to 2.45 gm/cc. Nonetheless, these improvements resulted in only small increases in the first matrix cracking stress, primary elastic modulus, and ultimate tensile strength values of the composites. In contrast, HIP consolidation of SiC/RBSN resulted in a fully dense material whose first matrix cracking stress and elastic modulus were approx. 15 and 50 percent higher, respectively, and ultimate tensile strength values were approx. 40 percent lower than those for unHIPed SiC/RBSN composites. The modulus behavior for all specimens can be explained by simple rule-of-mixture theory. Also, the loss in ultimate strength for the HIPed composites appears to be related to a degradation in fiber strength at the HIP temperature. However, the density effect on matrix fracture strength was much less than would be expected based on typical monolithic Si3N4 behavior, suggesting that composite theory is indeed operating. Possible practical implications of these observations are discussed.

Fabrication of a Highly Aligned Neural Scaffold via a Table Top Stereolithography 3D Printing and Electrospinning.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Se-Jun; Nowicki, Margaret; Harris, Brent; Zhang, Lijie Grace

2017-06-01

Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting is a rapidly emerging technique in the field of tissue engineering to fabricate extremely intricate and complex biomimetic scaffolds in the range of micrometers. Such customized 3D printed constructs can be used for the regeneration of complex tissues such as cartilage, vessels, and nerves. However, the 3D printing techniques often offer limited control over the resolution and compromised mechanical properties due to short selection of printable inks. To address these limitations, we combined stereolithography and electrospinning techniques to fabricate a novel 3D biomimetic neural scaffold with a tunable porous structure and embedded aligned fibers. By employing two different types of biofabrication methods, we successfully utilized both synthetic and natural materials with varying chemical composition as bioink to enhance biocompatibilities and mechanical properties of the scaffold. The resulting microfibers composed of polycaprolactone (PCL) polymer and PCL mixed with gelatin were embedded in 3D printed hydrogel scaffold. Our results showed that 3D printed scaffolds with electrospun fibers significantly improve neural stem cell adhesion when compared to those without the fibers. Furthermore, 3D scaffolds embedded with aligned fibers showed an enhancement in cell proliferation relative to bare control scaffolds. More importantly, confocal microscopy images illustrated that the scaffold with PCL/gelatin fibers greatly increased the average neurite length and directed neurite extension of primary cortical neurons along the fiber. The results of this study demonstrate the potential to create unique 3D neural tissue constructs by combining 3D bioprinting and electrospinning techniques.

Roughness and uniformity improvements on self-aligned quadruple patterning technique for 10nm node and beyond by wafer stress engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Eric; Ko, Akiteru; O'Meara, David; Mohanty, Nihar; Franke, Elliott; Pillai, Karthik; Biolsi, Peter

2017-05-01

Dimension shrinkage has been a major driving force in the development of integrated circuit processing over a number of decades. The Self-Aligned Quadruple Patterning (SAQP) technique is widely adapted for sub-10nm node in order to achieve the desired feature dimensions. This technique provides theoretical feasibility of multiple pitch-halving from 193nm immersion lithography by using various pattern transferring steps. The major concept of this approach is to a create spacer defined self-aligned pattern by using single lithography print. By repeating the process steps, double, quadruple, or octuple are possible to be achieved theoretically. In these small architectures, line roughness control becomes extremely important since it may contribute to a significant portion of process and device performance variations. In addition, the complexity of SAQP in terms of processing flow makes the roughness improvement indirective and ineffective. It is necessary to discover a new approach in order to improve the roughness in the current SAQP technique. In this presentation, we demonstrate a novel method to improve line roughness performances on 30nm pitch SAQP flow. We discover that the line roughness performance is strongly related to stress management. By selecting different stress level of film to be deposited onto the substrate, we can manipulate the roughness performance in line and space patterns. In addition, the impact of curvature change by applied film stress to SAQP line roughness performance is also studied. No significant correlation is found between wafer curvature and line roughness performance. We will discuss in details the step-by-step physical performances for each processing step in terms of critical dimension (CD)/ critical dimension uniformity (CDU)/line width roughness (LWR)/line edge roughness (LER). Finally, we summarize the process needed to reach the full wafer performance targets of LWR/LER in 1.07nm/1.13nm on 30nm pitch line and space pattern.

Personologic alignment and the treatment of posttraumatic distress.

Science.gov (United States)

Everly, G

2001-01-01

The therapeutic alliance is generally considered the sine qua non of successful psychotherapy. Yet, establishing the therapeutic alliance with patients suffering from syndromes of posttraumatic distress (including posttraumatic stress disorder) represents an unusual challenge. This paper describes the use of a personality-based approach to the establishment of the therapeutic alliance. This approach is referred to as personologic alignment and consists of alignment with preferential processes, as well as thematic belief systems. It represents an integration of the personology of Theodore Millon and the rhetoric of Aristotle.

The effects of embedded piezoelectric fiber composite sensors on the structural integrity of glass-fiber-epoxy composite laminate

Science.gov (United States)

Konka, Hari P.; Wahab, M. A.; Lian, K.

2012-01-01

Piezoelectric fiber composite sensors (PFCSs) made from micro-sized lead zirconate titanate (PZT) fibers have many advantages over the traditional bulk PZT sensors for embedded sensor applications. PFCSs as embedded sensors will be an ideal choice to continuously monitor the stress/strain levels and health conditions of composite structures. PFCSs are highly flexible, easily embeddable, have high compatibility with composite structures, and also provides manufacturing flexibility. This research is focused on examining the effects of embedding PFCS sensors (macro-fiber composite (MFC) and piezoelectric fiber composite (PFC)) on the structural integrity of glass-fiber-epoxy composite laminates. The strengths of composite materials with embedded PFCSs and conventional PZT sensors were compared, and the advantages of PFCS sensors over PZTs were demonstrated. Initially a numerical simulation study is performed to understand the local stress/strain field near the embedded sensor region inside a composite specimen. High stress concentration regions were observed near the embedded sensor corner edge. Using PFCS leads to a reduction of 56% in longitudinal stress concentration and 38% in transverse stress concentration, when compared to using the conventional PZTs as embedded sensors. In-plane tensile, in-plane tension-tension fatigue, and short beam strength tests are performed to evaluate the strengths/behavior of the composite specimens containing embedded PFCS. From the tensile test it is observed that embedding PFCS and PZT sensors in the composite structures leads to a reduction in ultimate strength by 3 and 6% respectively. From the fatigue test results it is concluded that both embedded PFCS and PZT sensors do not have a significant effect on the fatigue behavior of the composite specimens. From the short beam strength test it is found that embedding PFCS and PZT sensors leads to a reduction in shear strength by 7 and 15% respectively. Overall the pure PZT sensors

Effects of Schwann cell alignment along the oriented electrospun chitosan nanofibers on nerve regeneration.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Wei; Itoh, Soichiro; Konno, Katsumi; Kikkawa, Takeshi; Ichinose, Shizuko; Sakai, Katsuyoshi; Ohkuma, Tsuneo; Watabe, Kazuhiko

2009-12-15

We have constructed a chitosan nonwoven nanofiber mesh tube consisting of oriented fibers by the electrospinning method. The efficacy of oriented nanofibers on Schwann cell alignment and positive effect of this tube on peripheral nerve regeneration were confirmed. The physical properties of the chitosan nanofiber mesh sheets prepared by electrospinning with or without fiber orientation were characterized. Then, immortalized Schwann cells were cultured on these sheets. Furthermore, the chitosan nanofiber mesh tubes with or without orientation, and bilayered chitosan mesh tube with an inner layer of oriented nanofibers and an outer layer of randomized nanofibers were bridgegrafted into rat sciatic nerve defect. As a result of fiber orientation, the tensile strength along the axis of the sheet increased. Because Schwann cells aligned along the nanofibers, oriented fibrous sheets could exhibit a Schwann cell column. Functional recovery and electrophysiological recovery occurred in time in the oriented group as well as in the bilayered group, and approximately matched those in the isograft. Furthermore, histological analysis revealed that the sprouting of myelinated axons occurred vigorously followed by axonal maturation in the isograft, oriented, and bilayered group in the order. The oriented chitosan nanofiber mesh tube may be a promising substitute for autogenous nerve graft.

A cryogenic optical feedthrough using polarization maintaining fibers.

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, M J; Collins, C J; Speake, C C

2016-03-01

Polarization maintaining optical fibers can be used to transmit linearly polarized light over long distances but their use in cryogenic environments has been limited by their sensitivity to temperature changes and associated mechanical stress. We investigate experimentally how thermal stresses affect the polarization maintaining fibers and model the observations with Jones matrices. We describe the design, construction, and testing of a feedthrough and fiber termination assembly that uses polarization maintaining fiber to transmit light from a 633 nm HeNe laser at room temperature to a homodyne polarization-based interferometer in a cryogenic vacuum. We report on the efficiency of the polarization maintaining properties of the feedthrough assembly. We also report that, at cryogenic temperatures, the interferometer can achieve a sensitivity of 8 × 10(-10) rad/√Hz at 0.05 Hz using this feedthrough.

Environmental Aspects of Use of Recycled Carbon Fiber Composites in Automotive Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Fanran; McKechnie, Jon; Turner, Thomas; Wong, Kok H; Pickering, Stephen J

2017-11-07

The high cost and energy intensity of virgin carbon fiber manufacture provides an opportunity to recover substantial value from carbon fiber reinforced plastic wastes. In this study, we assess the life cycle environmental implications of recovering carbon fiber and producing composite materials as substitutes for conventional and proposed lightweight materials in automotive applications (e.g., steel, aluminum, virgin carbon fiber). Key parameters for the recycled carbon fiber materials, including fiber volume fraction and fiber alignment, are investigated to identify beneficial uses of recycled carbon fiber in the automotive sector. Recycled carbon fiber components can achieve the lowest life cycle environmental impacts of all materials considered, although the actual impact is highly dependent on the design criteria (λ value) of the specific component. Low production impacts associated with recycled carbon fiber components are observed relative to lightweight competitor materials (e.g., aluminum, virgin carbon fiber reinforced plastic). In addition, recycled carbon fiber components have low in-use energy use due to mass reductions and associated reduction in mass-induced fuel consumption. The results demonstrate environmental feasibility of the CFRP recycling materials, supporting the emerging commercialization of CF recycling technologies and identifying significant potential market opportunities in the automotive sector.

Residual strain sensor using Al-packaged optical fiber and Brillouin optical correlation domain analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Bo-Hun; Kwon, Il-Bum

2015-03-09

We propose a distributed residual strain sensor that uses an Al-packaged optical fiber for the first time. The residual strain which causes Brillouin frequency shifts in the optical fiber was measured using Brillouin optical correlation domain analysis with 2 cm spatial resolution. We quantified the Brillouin frequency shifts in the Al-packaged optical fiber by the tensile stress and compared them for a varying number of Al layers in the optical fiber. The Brillouin frequency shift of an optical fiber with one Al layer had a slope of 0.038 MHz/με with respect to tensile stress, which corresponds to 78% of that for an optical fiber without Al layers. After removal of the stress, 87% of the strain remained as residual strain. When different tensile stresses were randomly applied, the strain caused by the highest stress was the only one detected as residual strain. The residual strain was repeatedly measured for a time span of nine months for the purpose of reliability testing, and there was no change in the strain except for a 4% reduction, which is within the error tolerance of the experiment. A composite material plate equipped with our proposed Al-packaged optical fiber sensor was hammered for impact experiment and the residual strain in the plate was successfully detected. We suggest that the Al-packaged optical fiber can be adapted as a distributed strain sensor for smart structures, including aerospace structures.

Strain evolution after fiber failure in a single-fiber metal matrix composite under cyclic loading

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hanan, Jay C. [Department of Materials Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)]. E-mail: jay.hanan@okstate.edu; Mahesh, Sivasambu [Materials Science and Technology Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Uestuendag, Ersan [Department of Materials Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)]. E-mail: ersan@caltech.edu; Beyerlein, Irene J. [Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Swift, Geoffrey A. [Department of Materials Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Clausen, Bjorn [Department of Materials Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Brown, Donald W. [Materials Science and Technology Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Bourke, Mark A.M. [Materials Science and Technology Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States)

2005-06-15

The evolution of in situ elastic strain with cyclic tensile loading in each phase of a single Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-fiber/aluminum-matrix composite was studied using neutron diffraction (ND). An analytical model appropriate for metal matrix composites (MMCs) was developed to connect the measured axial strain evolution in each phase with the possible micromechanical events that could occur during loading at room temperature: fiber fracture, interfacial slipping, and matrix plastic deformation. Model interpretation showed that the elastic strain evolution in the fiber and matrix was governed by fiber fracture and interface slipping and not by plastic deformation of the matrix, whereas the macroscopic stress-strain response of the composite was influenced by all three. The combined single-fiber composite model and ND experiment introduces a new and quick engineering approach for qualifying the micromechanical response in MMCs due to cyclic loading and fiber fracture.

Strain evolution after fiber failure in a single-fiber metal matrix composite under cyclic loading

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanan, Jay C.; Mahesh, Sivasambu; Uestuendag, Ersan; Beyerlein, Irene J.; Swift, Geoffrey A.; Clausen, Bjorn; Brown, Donald W.; Bourke, Mark A.M.

2005-01-01

The evolution of in situ elastic strain with cyclic tensile loading in each phase of a single Al 2 O 3 -fiber/aluminum-matrix composite was studied using neutron diffraction (ND). An analytical model appropriate for metal matrix composites (MMCs) was developed to connect the measured axial strain evolution in each phase with the possible micromechanical events that could occur during loading at room temperature: fiber fracture, interfacial slipping, and matrix plastic deformation. Model interpretation showed that the elastic strain evolution in the fiber and matrix was governed by fiber fracture and interface slipping and not by plastic deformation of the matrix, whereas the macroscopic stress-strain response of the composite was influenced by all three. The combined single-fiber composite model and ND experiment introduces a new and quick engineering approach for qualifying the micromechanical response in MMCs due to cyclic loading and fiber fracture

Mallow Fiber-Reinforced Epoxy Composites in Multilayered Armor for Personal Ballistic Protection

Science.gov (United States)

Nascimento, Lucio Fábio Cassiano; Louro, Luis Henrique Leme; Monteiro, Sergio Neves; Lima, Édio Pereira; da Luz, Fernanda Santos

2017-10-01

Lighter and less expensive polymer composites reinforced with natural fibers have been investigated as possible components of a multilayered armor system (MAS) for personal protection against high-velocity ammunition. Their ballistic performance was consistently found comparable with that of conventional Kevlar® synthetic aramid fiber. Among the numerous existing natural fibers with the potential for reinforcing polymer composites to replace Kevlar® in MAS, mallow fiber has not been fully investigated. Thus, the objective of this work is to evaluate the ballistic performance of epoxy composites reinforced with 30 vol.% of aligned mallow fibers as a second MAS layer backing a front ceramic plate. The results using high-velocity 7.62 ammunition show a similar indentation to a Kevlar® layer with the same thickness. An impedance matching calculation supports the similar ballistic performance of mallow fiber composite and Kevlar®. Reduced MAS costs associated with the mallow fiber composite are practical advantages over Kevlar®.

Aligned fibers direct collective cell migration to engineer closing and nonclosing wound gaps.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Puja; Ng, Colin; Jana, Aniket; Padhi, Abinash; Szymanski, Paige; Lee, Jerry S H; Behkam, Bahareh; Nain, Amrinder S

2017-09-15

Cell emergence onto damaged or organized fibrous extracellular matrix (ECM) is a crucial precursor to collective cell migration in wound closure and cancer metastasis, respectively. However, there is a fundamental gap in our quantitative understanding of the role of local ECM size and arrangement in cell emergence-based migration and local gap closure. Here, using ECM-mimicking nanofibers bridging cell monolayers, we describe a method to recapitulate and quantitatively describe these in vivo behaviors over multispatial (single cell to cell sheets) and temporal (minutes to weeks) scales. On fiber arrays with large interfiber spacing, cells emerge (invade) either singularly by breaking cell-cell junctions analogous to release of a stretched rubber band (recoil), or in groups of few cells (chains), whereas on closely spaced fibers, multiple chains emerge collectively. Advancing cells on fibers form cell streams, which support suspended cell sheets (SCS) of various sizes and curvatures. SCS converge to form local gaps that close based on both the gap size and shape. We document that cell stream spacing of 375 µm and larger hinders SCS advancement, thus providing abilities to engineer closing and nonclosing gaps. Altogether we highlight the importance of studying cell-fiber interactions and matrix structural remodeling in fundamental and translational cell biology. © 2017 Sharma et al. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). Two months after publication it is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Holograms for laser diode: Single mode optical fiber coupling

Science.gov (United States)

Fuhr, P. L.

1982-01-01

The low coupling efficiency of semiconductor laser emissions into a single mode optical fibers place a severe restriction on their use. Associated with these conventional optical coupling techniques are stringent alignment sensitivities. Using holographic elements, the coupling efficiency may be increased and the alignment sensitivity greatly reduced. Both conventional and computer methods used in the generation of the holographic couplers are described and diagrammed. The reconstruction geometries used are shown to be somewhat restrictive but substantially less rigid than their conventional optical counterparts. Single and double hologram techniques are examined concerning their respective ease of fabrication and relative merits.

Investigation of synthetic spider silk crystallinity and alignment via electrothermal, pyroelectric, literature XRD, and tensile techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Munro, Troy; Putzeys, Tristan; Copeland, Cameron G; Xing, Changhu; Lewis, Randolph V; Ban, Heng; Glorieux, Christ; Wubbenhorst, Michael

2017-04-01

The processes used to create synthetic spider silk greatly affect the properties of the produced fibers. This paper investigates the effect of process variations during artificial spinning on the thermal and mechanical properties of the produced silk. Property values are also compared to the ones of the natural dragline silk of the N. clavipes spider, and to unprocessed (as-spun) synthetic silk. Structural characterization by scanning pyroelectric microscopy is employed to provide insight into the axial orientation of the crystalline regions of the fiber and is supported by XRD data. The results show that stretching and passage through liquid baths induce crystal formation and axial alignment in synthetic fibers, but with different structural organization than natural silks. Furthermore, an increase in thermal diffusivity and elastic modulus is observed with decreasing fiber diameter, trending towards properties of natural fiber. This effect seems to be related to silk fibers being subjected to a radial gradient during production.

Thermal stress effects in intermetallic matrix composites

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, P. K.; Sensmeier, M. D.; Kupperman, D. S.; Wadley, H. N. G.

1993-01-01

Intermetallic matrix composites develop residual stresses from the large thermal expansion mismatch (delta-alpha) between the fibers and matrix. This work was undertaken to: establish improved techniques to measure these thermal stresses in IMC's; determine residual stresses in a variety of IMC systems by experiments and modeling; and, determine the effect of residual stresses on selected mechanical properties of an IMC. X ray diffraction (XRD), neutron diffraction (ND), synchrotron XRD (SXRD), and ultrasonics (US) techniques for measuring thermal stresses in IMC were examined and ND was selected as the most promising technique. ND was demonstrated on a variety of IMC systems encompassing Ti- and Ni-base matrices, SiC, W, and Al2O3 fibers, and different fiber fractions (Vf). Experimental results on these systems agreed with predictions of a concentric cylinder model. In SiC/Ti-base systems, little yielding was found and stresses were controlled primarily by delta-alpha and Vf. In Ni-base matrix systems, yield strength of the matrix and Vf controlled stress levels. The longitudinal residual stresses in SCS-6/Ti-24Al-llNb composite were modified by thermomechanical processing. Increasing residual stress decreased ultimate tensile strength in agreement with model predictions. Fiber pushout strength showed an unexpected inverse correlation with residual stress. In-plane shear yield strength showed no dependence on residual stress. Higher levels of residual tension led to higher fatigue crack growth rates, as suggested by matrix mean stress effects.

The strength and failure of silica optical fibers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan, C; Bai, R X; Yu, H; Canning, J; Law, S

2010-01-01

The mechanical strength and failure behavior of conventional and microstructured silica optical fibers was investigated using a tensile test and fracture mechanics and numerical analyses. The effect of polymer coating on failure behavior was also studied. The results indicate that all these fibers fail in a brittle manner and failure normally starts from fiber surfaces. The failure loads observed in coated fibers are higher than those in bare fibers. The introduction of air holes reduces fiber strength and their geometrical arrangements have a remarkable effect on stress distribution in the longitudinal direction. These results are potentially useful for the design, fabrication and evaluation of optical fibers for a wide range of applications.

Direct Shear Behavior of Fiber Reinforced Concrete Elements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hussein Al-Quraishi

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Improving the accuracy of load-deformation behavior, failure mode, and ultimate load capacity for reinforced concrete members subjected to in-plane loadings such as corbels, wall to foundation connections and panels need shear strength behavior to be included. Shear design in reinforced concrete structures depends on crack width, crack slippage and roughness of the surface of cracks. This paper illustrates results of an experimental investigation conducted to investigate the direct shear strength of fiber normal strength concrete (NSC and reactive powder concrete (RPC. The tests were performed along a pre-selected shear plane in concrete members named push-off specimens. The effectiveness of concrete compressive strength, volume fraction of steel fiber, and shear reinforcement ratio on shear transfer capacity were considered in this study. Furthermore, failure modes, shear stress-slip behavior, and shear stress-crack width behavior were also presented in this study. Tests’ results showed that volume fraction of steel fiber and compressive strength of concrete in NSC and RPC play a major role in improving the shear strength of concrete. As expectedly, due to dowel action, the shear reinforcement is the predominant factor in resisting the shear stress. The shear failure of NSC and RPC has the sudden mode of failure (brittle failure with the approximately linear behavior of shear stress-slip relationship till failure. Using RPC instead of NSC with the same amount of steel fibers in constructing the push-off specimen result in high shear strength. In NSC, shear strength influenced by the three major factors; crack surface friction, aggregate interlock and steel fiber content if present. Whereas, RPC has only steel fiber and cracks surface friction influencing the shear strength. Due to cementitious nature of RPC in comparisons with NSC, the RPC specimen shows greater cracks width. It is observed that the Mattock model gives very satisfactory

Fatigue Performance of Fiber Reinforced Concrete

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jun, Zhang; Stang, Henrik

1996-01-01

The objective of the present study is to obtain basic data of fibre reinforced concrete under fatigue load and to set up a theoretical model based on micromechanics. In this study, the bridging stress in fiber reinforced concrete under cyclic tensile load was investigted in details. The damage...... mechanism of the interface between fiber and matrix was proposed and a rational model given. Finally, the response of a steel fiber reinforced concrete beam under fatigue loading was predicted based on this model and compared with experimental results....

Expression of the proteoglycan syndecan-4 and the mechanism by which it mediates stress fiber formation in folliculostellate cells in the rat anterior pituitary gland.

Science.gov (United States)

Horiguchi, Kotaro; Kouki, Tom; Fujiwara, Ken; Tsukada, Takehiro; Ly, Floren; Kikuchi, Motoshi; Yashiro, Takashi

2012-08-01

Folliculostellate (FS) cells in the anterior pituitary gland appear to have multifunctional properties. FS cells connect to each other at gap junctions and thereby form a histological and functional network. We have performed a series of studies on network formation in FS cells and recently reported that FS cells markedly prolong their cytoplasmic processes and form numerous interconnections with neighboring FS cells in the presence of laminin, an extracellular matrix (ECM) component of the basement membrane. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of this extension of FS cell cytoplasmic processes under the influence of laminin and found that laminin promoted stress fiber formation within FS cells. Next, we noted that formation of stress fibers in FS cells was mediated by syndecan-4, a transmembrane proteoglycan that binds ECM and soluble factors via their extracellular glycosaminoglycan chain. We then observed that expressions of syndecan-4 and α-actinin (a microfilament bundling protein that cross-links actin stress fibers in FS cells) were upregulated by laminin. Using specific siRNA of syndecan-4, actin polymerization of FS cells was inhibited. Our findings suggest that FS cells received a signal from laminin-syndecan-4 interaction, which resulted in morphological changes, and that the formation of a morphological and functional network in FS cells was transduced by a syndecan-4-dependent mechanism in the presence of ECM.

An Advanced Electrospinning Method of Fabricating Nanofibrous Patterned Architectures with Controlled Deposition and Desired Alignment

Science.gov (United States)

Rasel, Sheikh Md

We introduce a versatile advanced method of electrospinning for fabricating various kinds of nanofibrous patterns along with desired alignment, controlled amount of deposition and locally variable density into the architectures. In this method, we employed multiple electrodes whose potentials have been altered in milliseconds with the help of microprocessor based control system. Therefore, key success of this method was that the electrical field as well as charge carrying fibers could be switched shortly from one electrode's location to another, as a result, electrospun fibers could be deposited on the designated areas with desired alignment. A wide range of nanofibrous patterned architectures were constructed using proper arrangement of multiple electrodes. By controlling the concurrent activation time of two adjacent electrodes, we demonstrated that amount of fibers going into the pattern can be adjusted and desired alignment in electrospun fibers can be obtained. We also revealed that the deposition density of electrospun fibers in different areas of patterned architectures can be varied. We showed that by controlling the deposition time between two adjacent electrodes, a number of functionally graded patterns can be generated with uniaxial alignment. We also demonstrated that this handy method was capable of producing random, aligned, and multidirectional nanofibrous mats by engaging a number of electrodes and switching them in desired patterns. A comprehensive study using finite element method was carried out to understand the effects of electrical field. Simulation results revealed that electrical field strength alters shortly based on electrode control switch patterns. Nanofibrous polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) scaffolds and its composite reinforced with wollastonite and wood flour were fabricated using rotating drum electrospinning technique. Morphological, mechanical, and thermal, properties were characterized on PVA/wollastonite and PVA/wood flour nanocomposites

Impact of defects on electrical connectivity of monolayer of ideally aligned rods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tarasevich, Yu Yu; Dubinin, D O; Laptev, V V; Lebovka, N I

2016-01-01

The processes of formation of electrically conductive films filled by aligned elongated nanoparticles, i.e. nanotubes, nanowires or fibers attract great attention in nanotecnological applications. The alignment can be controlled by external electric fields, evaporation-driven self-assembly and assisted by different other techniques. This work studies the impact of defects on electrical connectivity of ideally aligned monolayer of rods (k-mers). By means of Monte Carlo simulation the problem of percolation for conductive rods on a discrete insulating substrate (square lattice) is analyzed. The aspect ratio of the particles changes within the interval 1-64, the insulating defects were distributed both on the lattice and on the particles. We found that even a very small amount of the insulating defects on the particles can destroy the electrical connectivity. The critical concentration of the defects decreases as the aspect ratio of the particles increases. (paper)

Measurement of the single 100 diffraction line and evaluation of the average crystallite sizes along the fiber axis for mesophase-pitch-based carbon fiber P100

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, Akira; Kaburagi, Yutaka; Hishiyama, Yoshihiro

2007-01-01

Mesophase-pitch-based carbon fiber P100 is known as a well-oriented carbon fiber in which the partially graphitized crystallites align along the fiber axis. The X-ray powder diffraction pattern for P100 measured by the X-ray diffractometer reveals the 100 diffraction line as a composite peak with the 101 diffraction line. The composite peak is usually not easy to separate into the component peaks of 100 and 101 lines. In the present article, a method to measure the single 100 diffraction line with the X-ray diffractometer using fiber samples of P100 has been developed. It has been found that there exist two types of crystallites oriented to their basal planes along the fiber axis in each of the P100 fibers; the Z-type crystallite with the zigzag boundary planes and the A-type crystallite with the armchair boundary planes, both of the boundary planes are perpendicular to the fiber axis. The average crystallite sizes along the fiber axis evaluated are 53 nm for the Z-type crystallites and 800 nm for the armchair crystallites. The average crystallite thickness for both types is about 120 nm. (author)

Fatigue crack growth in fiber-metal laminates

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, YuE; Xia, ZhongChun; Xiong, XiaoFeng

2014-01-01

Fiber-metal laminates (FMLs) consist of three layers of aluminum alloy 2024-T3 and two layers of glass/epoxy prepreg, and it (it means FMLs) is laminated by Al alloy and fiber alternatively. Fatigue crack growth rates in notched fiber-metal laminates under constant amplitude fatigue loading were studied experimentally and numerically and were compared with them in monolithic 2024-T3 Al alloy plates. It is shown that the fatigue life of FMLs is about 17 times longer than monolithic 2024-T3 Al alloy plate; and crack growth rates in FMLs panels remain constant mostly even when the crack is long, unlike in the monolithic 2024-T3 Al alloy plates. The formula to calculate bridge stress profiles of FMLs was derived based on the fracture theory. A program by Matlab was developed to calculate the distribution of bridge stress in FMLs, and then fatigue growth lives were obtained. Finite element models of FMLs were built and meshed finely to analyze the stress distributions. Both results were compared with the experimental results. They agree well with each other.

A Polymer Optical Fiber Temperature Sensor Based on Material Features.

Science.gov (United States)

Leal-Junior, Arnaldo; Frizera-Netoc, Anselmo; Marques, Carlos; Pontes, Maria José

2018-01-19

This paper presents a polymer optical fiber (POF)-based temperature sensor. The operation principle of the sensor is the variation in the POF mechanical properties with the temperature variation. Such mechanical property variation leads to a variation in the POF output power when a constant stress is applied to the fiber due to the stress-optical effect. The fiber mechanical properties are characterized through a dynamic mechanical analysis, and the output power variation with different temperatures is measured. The stress is applied to the fiber by means of a 180° curvature, and supports are positioned on the fiber to inhibit the variation in its curvature with the temperature variation. Results show that the sensor proposed has a sensitivity of 1.04 × 10 -3 °C -1 , a linearity of 0.994, and a root mean squared error of 1.48 °C, which indicates a relative error of below 2%, which is lower than the ones obtained for intensity-variation-based temperature sensors. Furthermore, the sensor is able to operate at temperatures up to 110 °C, which is higher than the ones obtained for similar POF sensors in the literature.

Aligning the unalignable: bacteriophage whole genome alignments.

Science.gov (United States)

Bérard, Sèverine; Chateau, Annie; Pompidor, Nicolas; Guertin, Paul; Bergeron, Anne; Swenson, Krister M

2016-01-13

In recent years, many studies focused on the description and comparison of large sets of related bacteriophage genomes. Due to the peculiar mosaic structure of these genomes, few informative approaches for comparing whole genomes exist: dot plots diagrams give a mostly qualitative assessment of the similarity/dissimilarity between two or more genomes, and clustering techniques are used to classify genomes. Multiple alignments are conspicuously absent from this scene. Indeed, whole genome aligners interpret lack of similarity between sequences as an indication of rearrangements, insertions, or losses. This behavior makes them ill-prepared to align bacteriophage genomes, where even closely related strains can accomplish the same biological function with highly dissimilar sequences. In this paper, we propose a multiple alignment strategy that exploits functional collinearity shared by related strains of bacteriophages, and uses partial orders to capture mosaicism of sets of genomes. As classical alignments do, the computed alignments can be used to predict that genes have the same biological function, even in the absence of detectable similarity. The Alpha aligner implements these ideas in visual interactive displays, and is used to compute several examples of alignments of Staphylococcus aureus and Mycobacterium bacteriophages, involving up to 29 genomes. Using these datasets, we prove that Alpha alignments are at least as good as those computed by standard aligners. Comparison with the progressive Mauve aligner - which implements a partial order strategy, but whose alignments are linearized - shows a greatly improved interactive graphic display, while avoiding misalignments. Multiple alignments of whole bacteriophage genomes work, and will become an important conceptual and visual tool in comparative genomics of sets of related strains. A python implementation of Alpha, along with installation instructions for Ubuntu and OSX, is available on bitbucket (https://bitbucket.org/thekswenson/alpha).

Submicron Surface-Patterned Fibers and Textiles

Science.gov (United States)

2016-11-04

www.statista.com/ statistics /263154/ worldwide -production-volume-of-textile-fibers- since-1975/ (accessed October 26, 2016). [2] W. S. Perkins, Textile coloration...Engineering. Submitted to 2 Presently, the worldwide annual production volume of textile fibers is nearly one hundred million metric tons... stress where viscous forces dominate and surface energy- driven deformations are kinetically restrained. A specific example of a surface-patterned

Conditions for pseudo strain-hardening in fiber reinforced brittle matrix composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, V.C.; Wu, H.W.

1992-01-01

Apart from imparting increased fracture toughness, one of the useful purposes of reinforcing brittle matrices with fibers is to create enhanced composite strain capacity. This paper reviews the conditions underwhich such a composite will exhibit the pseudo strain-hardening phenomenon. The presentation is given in a unified manner for both continuous aligned and discontinuous random fiber composites. It is demonstrated that pseudo strain hardening can be practically designed for both gills of composites by proper tailoring of material structures. 18 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs

The influence of type-I collagen-coated PLLA aligned nanofibers on growth of blood outgrowth endothelial cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Feng Zhangqi; Huang Ningping; Wang Yichun; Gu Zhongze [State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096 (China); Lu Huijun [Department of Vascular Surgery, Wuxi People' s Hospital, Wuxi 214023 (China); Leach, Michelle K [Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); Liu Changjian, E-mail: gu@seu.edu.c [Department of Vascular Surgery, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing 210008 (China)

2010-12-15

Nanofibrous scaffolds have been applied widely in tissue engineering to simulate the nanostructure of natural extracellular matrix (ECM) and promote cell bioactivity. The aim of this study was to design a biocompatible nanofibrous scaffold for blood outgrowth endothelial cells (BOECs) and investigate the interaction between the topography of the nanofibrous scaffold and cell growth. Poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) random and aligned nanofibers with a uniform diameter distribution were fabricated by electrospinning. NH{sub 3} plasma etching was used to create a hydrophilic surface on the nanofibers to improve type-I collagen adsorption; the conditions of the NH{sub 3} plasma etching were optimized by XPS and water contact angle analysis. Cell attachment, proliferation, viability, phenotype and morphology of BOECs cultured on type-I collagen-coated PLLA film (col-Film), random fibers (col-RFs) and aligned fibers (col-AFs) were detected over a 7 day culture period. The results showed that collagen-coated PLLA nanofibers improved cell attachment and proliferation; col-AFs induced the directional growth of cells along the aligned nanofibers and enhanced endothelialization. We suggest that col-AFs may be a potential implantable scaffold for vascular tissue engineering.

Orientation of aromatic residues in amyloid cores: Structural insights into prion fiber diversity

KAUST Repository

Reymer, Anna; Frederick, Kendra K.; Rocha, Sandra; Beke-Somfai, Tamá s; Kitts, Catherine C.; Lindquist, Susan; Nordé n, Bengt

2014-01-01

Sup35 with respect to angular orientation of tyrosines using polarized light spectroscopy. By applying a combination of alignment methods the degree of fiber orientation can be assessed, which allows a relatively accurate determination of the aromatic

Use of polarized spectroscopy as a tool for examining the microstructure of cellulosic textile fibers.

Science.gov (United States)

Garside, Paul; Wyeth, Paul

2007-05-01

Textile artifacts form a vital part of our cultural heritage. In order to determine appropriate methods of conservation, storage, and display, it is important to understand the current physical state of an artifact, as effected by the microstructure of the component fibers. The semi-crystalline nature of the constituent polymer aggregates, the degree of crystallinity, and the crystallite orientation have a significant influence on mechanical properties. The value of polarized Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy in probing these aspects of cellulosic fibers has been assessed. A variety of representative fibers (both natural plant fibers and regenerated materials) were examined by polarized attenuated total reflection spectroscopy (Pol-ATR) and polarized infrared microspectroscopy (Pol-microIR); the former is a surface sampling technique and the latter is a transmission technique. The introduction of a polarizer into the system allows the alignment as well as the nature of bonds to be determined, and thus the presence and extent of crystallinity or long range ordering can be investigated. Using the data from the Pol-ATR experiments, it was found to be possible to derive the principle alignment of the cellulose polymer with respect to the fiber axis, along with an indication of the total cellulose crystallinity of the material, as measured by a crystallinity parameter, Chi. The Pol-microIR spectra, on the other hand, yielded more limited information, particularly when considering plant fibers with more complex microstructures.

A tissue engineering approach to anterior cruciate ligament regeneration using novel shaped capillary channel polymer fibers

Science.gov (United States)

Sinclair, Kristofer D.

2009-12-01

Ruptures of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are the most frequent of injuries to the knee due to its role in preventing anterior translation of the tibia. It is estimated that as many as 200,000 Americans per year will suffer from a ruptured ACL, resulting in management costs on the order of 5 billion dollars. Without treatment these patients are unable to return to normal activity, as a consequence of the joint instability found within the ACL deficient knee. Over the last thirty years, a variety of non-degradable, synthetic fibers have been evaluated for their use in ACL reconstruction; however, a widely accepted prosthesis has been unattainable due to differences in mechanical properties of the synthetic graft relative to the native tissue. Tissue engineering is an interdisciplinary field charged with the task of developing therapeutic solutions for tissue and organ failure by enhancing the natural wound healing process through the use of cellular transplants, biomaterials, and the delivery of bioactive molecules. The capillary channel polymer (CC-P) fibers used in this research were fabricated by melt extrusion from polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate. These fibers possess aligned micrometer scale surface channels that may serve as physical templates for tissue growth and regeneration. This inherent surface topography offers a unique and industrially viable approach for cellular contact guidance on three dimensional constructs. In this fundamental research the ability of these fiber channels to support the adhesion, alignment, and organization of fibroblasts was demonstrated and found to be superior to round fiber controls. The results demonstrated greater uniformity of seeding and accelerated formation of multi-layered three-dimensional biomass for the CC-P fibers relative to those with a circular cross-section. Furthermore, the CC-P geometry induced nuclear elongation consistent with that observed in native ACL tissue. Through the

Fiber Bundle Model Under Heterogeneous Loading

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, Subhadeep; Goswami, Sanchari

2018-03-01

The present work deals with the behavior of fiber bundle model under heterogeneous loading condition. The model is explored both in the mean-field limit as well as with local stress concentration. In the mean field limit, the failure abruptness decreases with increasing order k of heterogeneous loading. In this limit, a brittle to quasi-brittle transition is observed at a particular strength of disorder which changes with k. On the other hand, the model is hardly affected by such heterogeneity in the limit where local stress concentration plays a crucial role. The continuous limit of the heterogeneous loading is also studied and discussed in this paper. Some of the important results related to fiber bundle model are reviewed and their responses to our new scheme of heterogeneous loading are studied in details. Our findings are universal with respect to the nature of the threshold distribution adopted to assign strength to an individual fiber.

Effect of carbon fiber dispersion on the mechanical properties of carbon fiber-reinforced cement-based composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Chuang; Li Kezhi; Li Hejun; Jiao Gengsheng; Lu Jinhua; Hou Dangshe

2008-01-01

The preparation of carbon fiber-reinforced cement-based composites involved two-step dispersions of carbon fibers. Both steps affected greatly the mechanical properties of the composites. With the aid of ultrasonic wave, a new dispersant hydroxyethyl cellulose was used to help fiber dispersion in the first step. The fracture surface of the composites was observed by scanning electron microscopy. The distribution of major elements was analyzed by the energy dispersive spectroscopy and the composition was analyzed through X-ray diffraction. The flexural strength, tensile strength, modulus, and compression strength were measured. Results showed that the distribution of major elements varied with the variation of the fiber dispersion status. The compressive strength increased by 20%, the tensile strength was 2.4 times that of the material without carbon fibers, the modulus increased by 26.8%, whereas the flexure stress decreased by 12.9%

Static and dynamic mechanical properties of alkali treated unidirectional continuous Palmyra Palm Leaf Stalk Fiber/jute fiber reinforced hybrid polyester composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shanmugam, D.; Thiruchitrambalam, M.

2013-01-01

Highlights: • New type of hybrid composite with Palmyra Palm Leaf Stalk Fibers (PPLSF) and jute. • Composites fabricated with continuous, unidirectional fibers. • Alkali treatment and hybridizing jute imparted good static and dynamic properties. • Properties are comparable with well know natural/glass fiber composites. • New hybrid composite can be an alternative in place of synthetic fiber composites. - Abstract: Alkali treated continuous Palmyra Palm Leaf Stalk Fiber (PPLSF) and jute fibers were used as reinforcement in unsaturated polyester matrix and their static and dynamic mechanical properties were evaluated. Continuous PPLSF and jute fibers were aligned unidirectionally in bi-layer arrangement and the hybrid composites were fabricated by compression molding process. Positive hybrid effect was observed for the composites due to hybridization. Increasing jute fiber loading showed a considerable increase in tensile and flexural properties of the hybrid composites as compared to treated PPLSF composites. Scanning Electron microscopy (SEM) of the fractured surfaces showed the nature of fiber/matrix interface. The impact strength of the hybrid composites were observed to be less compared to pure PPLSF composites. Addition of jute fibers to PPLSF and alkali treatment of the fibers has enhanced the storage and loss modulus of the hybrid composites. A positive shift of Tan δ peaks to higher temperature and reduction in the peak height of the composites was also observed. The composites with higher jute loading showed maximum damping behavior. Overall the hybridization was found to be efficient showing increased static and dynamic mechanical properties. A comparative study of properties of this hybrid composite with other hybrids made out of using natural/glass fibers is elaborated. Hybridization of alkali treated jute and PPLSF has resulted in enhanced properties which are comparable with other natural/glass fiber composites thus increasing the scope of

Influence of the curing cycles on the fatigue performance of unidirectional glass fiber reinforced epoxy composites

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hüther, Jonas; Brøndsted, Povl

2016-01-01

During the manufacturing process of fiber reinforced polymers the curing reaction of the resin results in shrinkage of the resin and introduces internal stresses in the composites. When curing at higher temperatures in order to shorten up the processing time, higher curing stresses and thermal...... to different levels of internal stresses. The mechanical properties, static strength and fatigue life time, are measured in three different directions of the material, i.e. the fiber direction, 0°, the 30° off axis direction, and the 90° direction transverse to the fiber direction. It is experimentally...... demonstrated that the resulting residual stresses barely influences the quasi-static mechanical properties of reinforced glass-fiber composites. It is found that the fatigue performance in the 0° direction is significantly influenced by the internal stresses, whereas the fatigue performance in the off axes...

Effect of fiber orientation of collagen-based electrospun meshes on human fibroblasts for ligament tissue engineering applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Full, Sean Michael; Delman, Connor; Gluck, Jessica M; Abdmaulen, Raushan; Shemin, Richard J; Heydarkhan-Hagvall, Sepideh

2015-01-01

Within the past two decades polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) has gained considerable attention as a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer that is suitable for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In this present study, we have investigated the potential of PLGA, collagen I (ColI), and polyurethane (PU) scaffolds for ligament tissue regeneration. Two different ratios of PLGA (50:50 and 85:15) were used to determine the effects on mechanical tensile properties and cell adhesion. The Young's modulus, tensile stress at yield, and ultimate tensile strain of PLGA(50:50)-ColI-PU scaffolds demonstrated similar tensile properties to that of ligaments found in the knee. Whereas, scaffolds composed of PLGA(85:15)-ColI-PU had lower tensile properties than that of ligaments. Furthermore, we investigated the effect of fiber orientation on mechanical properties and our results indicate that aligned fiber scaffolds demonstrate higher tensile properties than scaffolds with random fiber orientation. Also, human fibroblasts attached and proliferated with no need for additional surface modifications to the presented electrospun scaffolds in both categories. Collectively, our investigation demonstrates the effectiveness of electrospun PLGA scaffolds as a suitable candidate for regenerative medicine, capable of being manipulated and combined with other polymers to create three-dimensional microenvironments with adjustable tensile properties to mimic native tissues. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Anisotropic poly (glycerol sebacate)-poly (ϵ-caprolactone) electrospun fibers promote endothelial cell guidance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaharwar, Akhilesh K; Nikkhah, Mehdi; Sant, Shilpa; Khademhosseini, Ali

2015-01-01

Topographical cell guidance is utilized to engineer highly organized and aligned cellular constructs for numerous tissue engineering applications. Recently, electrospun scaffolds fabricated using poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS) and poly(ϵ-caprolactone) (PCL) have shown a great promise to support valvular interstitial cell functions for the development of tissue engineered heart valves. However, one of the major drawbacks of PGS-PCL scaffolds is the lack of control over cellular alignment. In this work, we investigate the role of scaffold architecture on the endothelial cell alignment, proliferation and formation of organized cellular structures. In particular, PGS-PCL scaffolds with randomly oriented and highly aligned fibers with tunable mechanical properties were fabricated using electrospinning technique. After one week of culture, endothelial cells on the aligned scaffolds exhibited higher proliferation compared to those cultures on randomly oriented fibrous scaffolds. Furthermore, the endothelial cells reorganized in response to the topographical features of aligned scaffolds forming highly organized cellular constructs. Thus, topographical contact guidance, provided by aligned PGS-PCL scaffolds, is envisioned to be useful in developing cellular structures for vascular tissue engineering. (paper)

Preliminary Study on Impact Resistances of Fiber Reinforced Concrete Applied Nuclear Power Plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin, Byeong Moo; Kim, Young Jin; Jeon, Se Jin

2013-01-01

Studies to improve the impact resistance depending upon design parameters for fiber reinforced concrete, such as type of fibers and application ratio, are in progress. Authors assessed first the impact resistance of concrete walls depending upon fiber types and missile impact velocities. The safety assessment of nuclear power plants against large civil aircraft crashes have been accomplished for normal concrete and fiber reinforced concretes in this study. Studies on the safety assessments on the nuclear power plants against large civil aircraft crashes are ongoing actively. As a step of evaluating the applicability of fiber reinforced concrete in means of ensuring more structural safety of the nuclear power plants against impact, the impact resistance for the 1% steel and 2% polyamide fiber reinforced concretes have been evaluated. For reactor containment building structures, it seem there is no impact resistance enhancement of fiber reinforced concrete applied to reactor containment building in the cases of impact velocity 150 m/sec considered in this study. However this results from the pre-stressing forces which introduce compressive stresses in concrete wall and dome section of reactor containment building. Nonetheless there may be benefits to apply fiber reinforced concrete to nuclear power plants. For double containment type reactor containment building, the outer structure is a reinforced concrete structure. The impact resistances for non pre-stressed cylindrical reactor containment buildings are enhanced by 23 to 47 % for 2 % polyamide fiber reinforced concretes and 1 % steel fiber reinforced concretes respectively. For other buildings such as auxiliary building, compound building and fuel storage building surrounding the reactor containment building, there are so many reinforced concrete walls which are anticipated some enhancements of impact resistance by using fiber reinforced concretes. And heavier or faster large civil aircraft impacts produce higher

Preliminary Study on Impact Resistances of Fiber Reinforced Concrete Applied Nuclear Power Plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jin, Byeong Moo; Kim, Young Jin; Jeon, Se Jin [Daewoo E and C Co. Ltd., Suwon (Korea, Republic of)

2013-10-15

Studies to improve the impact resistance depending upon design parameters for fiber reinforced concrete, such as type of fibers and application ratio, are in progress. Authors assessed first the impact resistance of concrete walls depending upon fiber types and missile impact velocities. The safety assessment of nuclear power plants against large civil aircraft crashes have been accomplished for normal concrete and fiber reinforced concretes in this study. Studies on the safety assessments on the nuclear power plants against large civil aircraft crashes are ongoing actively. As a step of evaluating the applicability of fiber reinforced concrete in means of ensuring more structural safety of the nuclear power plants against impact, the impact resistance for the 1% steel and 2% polyamide fiber reinforced concretes have been evaluated. For reactor containment building structures, it seem there is no impact resistance enhancement of fiber reinforced concrete applied to reactor containment building in the cases of impact velocity 150 m/sec considered in this study. However this results from the pre-stressing forces which introduce compressive stresses in concrete wall and dome section of reactor containment building. Nonetheless there may be benefits to apply fiber reinforced concrete to nuclear power plants. For double containment type reactor containment building, the outer structure is a reinforced concrete structure. The impact resistances for non pre-stressed cylindrical reactor containment buildings are enhanced by 23 to 47 % for 2 % polyamide fiber reinforced concretes and 1 % steel fiber reinforced concretes respectively. For other buildings such as auxiliary building, compound building and fuel storage building surrounding the reactor containment building, there are so many reinforced concrete walls which are anticipated some enhancements of impact resistance by using fiber reinforced concretes. And heavier or faster large civil aircraft impacts produce higher

A Theoretical Model for Estimation of Yield Strength of Fiber Metal Laminate

Science.gov (United States)

Bhat, Sunil; Nagesh, Suresh; Umesh, C. K.; Narayanan, S.

2017-08-01

The paper presents a theoretical model for estimation of yield strength of fiber metal laminate. Principles of elasticity and formulation of residual stress are employed to determine the stress state in metal layer of the laminate that is found to be higher than the stress applied over the laminate resulting in reduced yield strength of the laminate in comparison with that of the metal layer. The model is tested over 4A-3/2 Glare laminate comprising three thin aerospace 2014-T6 aluminum alloy layers alternately bonded adhesively with two prepregs, each prepreg built up of three uni-directional glass fiber layers laid in longitudinal and transverse directions. Laminates with prepregs of E-Glass and S-Glass fibers are investigated separately under uni-axial tension. Yield strengths of both the Glare variants are found to be less than that of aluminum alloy with use of S-Glass fiber resulting in higher laminate yield strength than with the use of E-Glass fiber. Results from finite element analysis and tensile tests conducted over the laminates substantiate the theoretical model.

A Study of Array Direction HDPE Fiber Reinforced Mortar

Science.gov (United States)

Kamsuwan, Trithos

2018-02-01

This paper presents the effect of array direction HDPE fiber using as the reinforced material in cement mortar. The experimental data were created reference to the efficiency of using HDPE fiber reinforced on the tensile properties of cement mortar with different high drawn ratio of HDPE fibers. The fiber with the different drawn ratio 25x (d25 with E xx), and 35x (d35 with E xx) fiber volume fraction (0%, 1.0%, 1.5%) and fiber length 20 mm. were used to compare between random direction and array direction of HDPE fibers and the stress - strain displacement relationship behavior of HDPE short fiber reinforced cement mortar were investigated. It was found that the array direction with HDPE fibers show more improved in tensile strength and toughness when reinforced in cement mortar.

Alignment of the CMS Silicon Strip Tracker during stand-alone Commissioning

CERN Document Server

Adam, W.; Dragicevic, M.; Friedl, M.; Fruhwirth, R.; Hansel, S.; Hrubec, J.; Krammer, M.; Oberegger, M.; Pernicka, M.; Schmid, S.; Stark, R.; Steininger, H.; Uhl, D.; Waltenberger, W.; Widl, E.; Van Mechelen, P.; Cardaci, M.; Beaumont, W.; de Langhe, E.; de Wolf, E.A.; Delmeire, E.; Hashemi, M.; Bouhali, O.; Charaf, O.; Clerbaux, B.; Dewulf, J.-P.; Elgammal, S.; Hammad, G.; de Lentdecker, G.; Marage, P.; Vander Velde, C.; Vanlaer, P.; Wickens, J.; Adler, V.; Devroede, O.; De Weirdt, S.; D'Hondt, J.; Goorens, R.; Heyninck, J.; Maes, J.; Mozer, Matthias Ulrich; Tavernier, S.; Van Lancker, L.; Van Mulders, P.; Villella, I.; Wastiels, C.; Bonnet, J.-L.; Bruno, G.; De Callatay, B.; Florins, B.; Giammanco, A.; Gregoire, G.; Keutgen, Th.; Kcira, D.; Lemaitre, V.; Michotte, D.; Militaru, O.; Piotrzkowski, K.; Quertermont, L.; Roberfroid, V.; Rouby, X.; Teyssier, D.; daubie, E.; Anttila, E.; Czellar, S.; Engstrom, P.; Harkonen, J.; Karimaki, V.; Kostesmaa, J.; Kuronen, A.; Lampen, T.; Linden, T.; Luukka, P.-R.; Maenaa, T.; Michal, S.; Tuominen, E.; Tuominiemi, J.; Ageron, M.; Baulieu, G.; Bonnevaux, A.; Boudoul, G.; Chabanat, E.; Chabert, E.; Chierici, R.; Contardo, D.; Della Negra, R.; Dupasquier, T.; Gelin, G.; Giraud, N.; Guillot, G.; Estre, N.; Haroutunian, R.; Lumb, N.; Perries, S.; Schirra, F.; Trocme, B.; Vanzetto, S.; Agram, J.-L.; Blaes, R.; Drouhin, F.; Ernenwein, J.-P.; Fontaine, J.-C.; Berst, J.-D.; Brom, J.-M.; Didierjean, F.; Goerlach, U.; Graehling, P.; Gross, L.; Hosselet, J.; Juillot, P.; Lounis, A.; Maazouzi, C.; Olivetto, C.; Strub, R.; Van Hove, P.; Anagnostou, G.; Brauer, R.; Esser, H.; Feld, L.; Karpinski, W.; Klein, K.; Kukulies, C.; Olzem, J.; Ostapchuk, A.; Pandoulas, D.; Pierschel, G.; Raupach, F.; Schael, S.; Schwering, G.; Sprenger, D.; Thomas, M.; Weber, M.; Wittmer, B.; Wlochal, M.; Beissel, F.; Bock, E.; Flugge, G.; Gillissen, C.; Hermanns, T.; Heydhausen, D.; Jahn, D.; Kaussen, G.; Linn, A.; Perchalla, L.; Poettgens, M.; Pooth, O.; Stahl, A.; Zoeller, M.H.; Buhmann, P.; Butz, E.; Flucke, G.; Hamdorf, R.; Hauk, J.; Klanner, R.; Pein, U.; Schleper, P.; Steinbruck, G.; Blum, P.; De Boer, W.; Dierlamm, A.; Dirkes, G.; Fahrer, M.; Frey, M.; Furgeri, A.; Hartmann, F.; Heier, S.; Hoffmann, K.-H.; Kaminski, J.; Ledermann, B.; Liamsuwan, T.; Muller, S.; Muller, Th.; Schilling, F.-P.; Simonis, H.-J.; Steck, P.; Zhukov, V.; Cariola, P.; De Robertis, G.; Ferorelli, R.; Fiore, L.; Preda, M.; Sala, G.; Silvestris, L.; Tempesta, P.; Zito, G.; Creanza, D.; De Filippis, N.; De Palma, M.; Giordano, D.; Maggi, G.; Manna, N.; My, S.; Selvaggi, G.; Albergo, S.; Chiorboli, M.; Costa, S.; Galanti, M.; Giudice, N.; Guardone, N.; Noto, F.; Potenza, R.; Saizu, M.A.; Sparti, V.; Sutera, C.; Tricomi, A.; Tuve, C.; Brianzi, M.; Civinini, C.; Maletta, F.; Manolescu, F.; Meschini, M.; Paoletti, S.; Sguazzoni, G.; Broccolo, B.; Ciulli, V.; D'Alessandro, R.; Focardi, E.; Frosali, S.; Genta, C.; Landi, G.; Lenzi, P.; Macchiolo, A.; Magini, N.; Parrini, G.; Scarlini, E.; Cerati, G.; Azzi, P.; Bacchetta, N.; Candelori, A.; Dorigo, T.; Kaminsky, A.; Karaevski, S.; Khomenkov, V.; Reznikov, S.; Tessaro, M.; Bisello, D.; De Mattia, M.; Giubilato, P.; Loreti, M.; Mattiazzo, S.; Nigro, M.; Paccagnella, A.; Pantano, D.; Pozzobon, N.; Tosi, M.; Bilei, G.M.; Checcucci, B.; Fano, L.; Servoli, L.; Ambroglini, F.; Babucci, E.; Benedetti, D.; Biasini, M.; Caponeri, B.; Covarelli, R.; Giorgi, M.; Lariccia, P.; Mantovani, G.; Marcantonini, M.; Postolache, V.; Santocchia, A.; Spiga, D.; Bagliesi, G.; Balestri, G.; Berretta, L.; Bianucci, S.; Boccali, T.; Bosi, F.; Bracci, F.; Castaldi, R.; Ceccanti, M.; Cecchi, R.; Cerri, C.; Cucoanes, A.S.; Dell'Orso, R.; Dobur, D.; Dutta, S.; Giassi, A.; Giusti, S.; Kartashov, D.; Kraan, A.; Lomtadze, T.; Lungu, G.A.; Magazzu, G.; Mammini, P.; Mariani, F.; Martinelli, G.; Moggi, A.; Palla, F.; Palmonari, F.; Petragnani, G.; Profeti, A.; Raffaelli, F.; Rizzi, D.; Sanguinetti, G.; Sarkar, S.; Sentenac, D.; Serban, A.T.; Slav, A.; Soldani, A.; Spagnolo, P.; Tenchini, R.; Tolaini, S.; Venturi, A.; Verdini, P.G.; Vos, M.; Zaccarelli, L.; Avanzini, C.; Basti, A.; Benucci, L.; Bocci, A.; Cazzola, U.; Fiori, F.; Linari, S.; Massa, M.; Messineo, A.; Segneri, G.; Tonelli, G.; Azzurri, P.; Bernardini, J.; Borrello, L.; Calzolari, F.; Foa, L.; Gennai, S.; Ligabue, F.; Petrucciani, G.; Rizzi, A.; Yang, Z.; Benotto, F.; Demaria, N.; Dumitrache, F.; Farano, R.; Borgia, M.A.; Castello, R.; Costa, M.; Migliore, E.; Romero, A.; Abbaneo, D.; Abbas, M.; Ahmed, I.; Akhtar, I.; Albert, E.; Bloch, C.; Breuker, H.; Butt, S.; Buchmuller, O.; Cattai, A.; Delaere, C.; Delattre, M.; Edera, L.M.; Engstrom, P.; Eppard, M.; Gateau, M.; Gill, K.; Giolo-Nicollerat, A.-S.; Grabit, R.; Honma, A.; Huhtinen, M.; Kloukinas, K.; Kortesmaa, J.; Kottelat, L.J.; Kuronen, A.; Leonardo, N.; Ljuslin, C.; Mannelli, M.; Masetti, L.; Marchioro, A.; Mersi, S.; Michal, S.; Mirabito, L.; Muffat-Joly, J.; Onnela, A.; Paillard, C.; Pal, I.; Pernot, J.F.; Petagna, P.; Petit, P.; Piccut, C.; Pioppi, M.; Postema, H.; Ranieri, R.; Ricci, D.; Rolandi, G.; Ronga, F.; Sigaud, C.; Syed, A.; Siegrist, P.; Tropea, P.; Troska, J.; Tsirou, A.; Vander Donckt, M.; Vasey, F.; Alagoz, E.; Amsler, Claude; Chiochia, V.; Regenfus, Christian; Robmann, P.; Rochet, J.; Rommerskirchen, T.; Schmidt, A.; Steiner, S.; Wilke, L.; Church, I.; Cole, J.; Coughlan, J.; Gay, A.; Taghavi, S.; Tomalin, I.; Bainbridge, R.; Cripps, N.; Fulcher, J.; Hall, G.; Noy, M.; Pesaresi, M.; Radicci, V.; Raymond, D.M.; Sharp, P.; Stoye, M.; Wingham, M.; Zorba, O.; Goitom, I.; Hobson, P.R.; Reid, I.; Teodorescu, L.; Hanson, G.; Jeng, G.-Y.; Liu, H.; Pasztor, G.; Satpathy, A.; Stringer, R.; Mangano, B.; Affolder, K.; Affolder, T.; Allen, A.; Barge, D.; Burke, S.; Callahan, D.; Campagnari, C.; Crook, A.; D'Alfonso, M.; Dietch, J.; Garberson, Jeffrey Ford; Hale, D.; Incandela, H.; Incandela, J.; Jaditz, S.; Kalavase, P.; Kreyer, S.; Kyre, S.; Lamb, J.; Mc Guinnessr, C.; Mills, C.; Nguyen, H.; Nikolic, M.; Lowette, S.; Rebassoo, F.; Ribnik, J.; Richman, J.; Rubinstein, N.; Sanhueza, S.; Shah, Y.; Simms, L.; Staszak, D.; Stoner, J.; Stuart, D.; Swain, S.; Vlimant, J.-R.; White, D.; Ulmer, K.A.; Wagner, S.R.; Bagby, L.; Bhat, P.C.; Burkett, K.; Cihangir, S.; Gutsche, O.; Jensen, H.; Johnson, M.; Luzhetskiy, N.; Mason, D.; Miao, T.; Moccia, S.; Noeding, C.; Ronzhin, A.; Skup, E.; Spalding, W.J.; Spiegel, L.; Tkaczyk, S.; Yumiceva, F.; Zatserklyaniy, A.; Zerev, E.; Anghel, I.; Bazterra, V.E.; Gerber, C.E.; Khalatian, S.; Shabalina, E.; Baringer, Philip S.; Bean, A.; Chen, J.; Hinchey, C.; Martin, C.; Moulik, T.; Robinson, R.; Gritsan, A.V.; Lae, C.K.; Tran, N.V.; Everaerts, P.; Hahn, K.A.; Harris, P.; Nahn, S.; Rudolph, M.; Sung, K.; Betchart, B.; Demina, R.; Gotra, Y.; Korjenevski, S.; Miner, D.; Orbaker, D.; Christofek, L.; Hooper, R.; Landsberg, G.; Nguyen, D.; Narain, M.; Speer, T.; Tsang, K.V.

2009-01-01

The results of the CMS tracker alignment analysis are presented using the data from cosmic tracks, optical survey information, and the laser alignment system at the Tracker Integration Facility at CERN. During several months of operation in the spring and summer of 2007, about five million cosmic track events were collected with a partially active CMS Tracker. This allowed us to perform first alignment of the active silicon modules with the cosmic tracks using three different statistical approaches; validate the survey and laser alignment system performance; and test the stability of Tracker structures under various stresses and temperatures ranging from +15C to -15C. Comparison with simulation shows that the achieved alignment precision in the barrel part of the tracker leads to residual distributions similar to those obtained with a random misalignment of 50 (80) microns in the outer (inner) part of the barrel.

Precisely Assembled Nanofiber Arrays as a Platform to Engineer Aligned Cell Sheets for Biofabrication

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vince Beachley

2014-08-01

Full Text Available A hybrid cell sheet engineering approach was developed using ultra-thin nanofiber arrays to host the formation of composite nanofiber/cell sheets. It was found that confluent aligned cell sheets could grow on uniaxially-aligned and crisscrossed nanofiber arrays with extremely low fiber densities. The porosity of the nanofiber sheets was sufficient to allow aligned linear myotube formation from differentiated myoblasts on both sides of the nanofiber sheets, in spite of single-side cell seeding. The nanofiber content of the composite cell sheets is minimized to reduce the hindrance to cell migration, cell-cell contacts, mass transport, as well as the foreign body response or inflammatory response associated with the biomaterial. Even at extremely low densities, the nanofiber component significantly enhanced the stability and mechanical properties of the composite cell sheets. In addition, the aligned nanofiber arrays imparted excellent handling properties to the composite cell sheets, which allowed easy processing into more complex, thick 3D structures of higher hierarchy. Aligned nanofiber array-based composite cell sheet engineering combines several advantages of material-free cell sheet engineering and polymer scaffold-based cell sheet engineering; and it represents a new direction in aligned cell sheet engineering for a multitude of tissue engineering applications.

Overall mechanical properties of fiber-reinforced metal matrix composites for fusion applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

You, J.H.; Bolt, H.

2002-01-01

The high-temperature strength and creep properties are among the crucial criteria for the structural materials of plasma facing components (PFC) of fusion reactors, as they will be subjected to severe thermal stresses. The fiber-reinforced metal matrix composites are a potential heat sink material for the PFC application, since the combination of different material properties can lead to versatile performances. In this article, the overall mechanical properties of two model composites based on theoretical predictions are presented. The matrix materials considered were a precipitation hardened CuCrZr alloy and reduced activation martensitic steel 'Eurofer'. Continuous SiC fibers were used for the reinforcement. The results demonstrate that yield stress, ultimate tensile strength, work hardening rate and creep resistance could be extensively improved by the fiber reinforcement up to fiber content of 40 vol.%. The influence of the residual stresses on the plastic behavior of the composites is also discussed

Tuning the conductivity and inner structure of electrospun fibers to promote cardiomyocyte elongation and synchronous beating.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yaowen; Lu, Jinfu; Xu, Guisen; Wei, Jiaojun; Zhang, Zhibin; Li, Xiaohong

2016-12-01

The key to addressing the challenges facing cardiac tissue engineering is the integration of physical, chemical, and electrical cues into scaffolds. Aligned and conductive scaffolds have been fabricated as synthetic microenvironments to improve the function of cardiomyocytes. However, up to now, the influence of conductive capability and inner structure of fibrous scaffolds have not been determined on the cardiomyocyte morphologies and beating patterns. In the current study, highly aligned fibers were fabricated with loaded up to 6% of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to modulate the electrical conductivity, while blend and coaxial electrospinning were utilized to create a bulk distribution of CNTs in fiber matrices and a spatial embedment in fiber cores, respectively. Conductive networks were formed in the fibrous scaffolds after the inoculation of over 3% CNTs, and the increase in the conductivity could maintain the cell viabilities, induce the cell elongation, enhance the production of sarcomeric α-actinin and troponin I, and promote the synchronous beating of cardiomyocytes. Although the conductivity of blend fibers is slightly higher than that of coaxial fibers with the same CNT loadings, the lower exposures to CNTs resulted in higher cell viability, elongation, extracellular matrix secretion and beating rates for cardiomyocytes on coaxial fibers. Taken altogether, core-sheath fibers with loaded 5% of CNTs in the fiber cores facilitated the cardiomyocyte growth with a production of organized contractile proteins and a pulsation frequency close to that of the atrium. It is suggested that electrospun scaffolds that couple conductivity and fibrous structure considerations may provide optimal stimuli to foster cell morphology and functions for myocardial regeneration or establishment of in vitro cardiomyocyte culture platform for drug screening. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Creep behavior for advanced polycrystalline SiC fibers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Youngblood, G.E.; Jones, R.H. [Pacific Northwest National Lab., Richland, WA (United States); Kohyama, Akira [Kyoto Univ. (Japan)] [and others

1997-04-01

A bend stress relaxation (BSR) test has been utilized to examine irradiation enhanced creep in polycrystalline SiC fibers which are under development for use as fiber reinforcement in SiC/SiC composite. Qualitative, S-shaped 1hr BSR curves were compared for three selected advanced SiC fiber types and standard Nicalon CG fiber. The temperature corresponding to the middle of the S-curve (where the BSR parameter m = 0.5) is a measure of a fiber`s thermal stability as well as it creep resistance. In order of decreasing thermal creep resistance, the measured transition temperatures were Nicalon S (1450{degrees}C), Sylramic (1420{degrees}C), Hi-Nicalon (1230{degrees}C) and Nicalon CG (1110{degrees}C).

An engineering, multiscale constitutive model for fiber-forming collagen in tension.

Science.gov (United States)

Annovazzi, Lorella; Genna, Francesco

2010-01-01

This work proposes a nonlinear constitutive model for a single collagen fiber. Fiber-forming collagen can exhibit different hierarchies of basic units, called fascicles, bundles, fibrils, microfibrils, and so forth, down to the molecular (tropocollagen) level. Exploiting the fact that at each hierarchy level the microstructure can be seen, at least approximately, as that of a wavy, or crimped, extensible cable, the proposed stress-strain model considers a given number of levels, each of which contributes to the overall mechanical behavior according to its own geometrical features (crimp, or waviness), as well as to the basic mechanical properties of the tropocollagen. The crimp features at all levels are assumed to be random variables, whose statistical integration furnishes a stress-strain curve for a collagen fiber. The soundness of this model-the first, to the Authors' knowledge, to treat a single collagen fiber as a microstructured nonlinear structural element-is checked by its application to collagen fibers for which experimental results are available: rat tail tendon, periodontal ligament, and engineered ones. Here, no attempt is made to obtain a stress-strain law for generic collagenous tissues, which exhibit specific features, often much more complex than those of a single fiber. However, it is trivial to observe that the availability of a sound, microstructurally based constitutive law for a single collagen fiber (but applicable at any sub-level, or to any other material with a similar microstructure) is essential for assembling complex constitutive models for any collagenous fibrous tissue.

Sharp burnout failure observed in high current-carrying double-walled carbon nanotube fibers

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Li; Toth, Geza; Wei, Jinquan; Liu, Zheng; Gao, Wei; Ci, Lijie; Vajtai, Robert; Endo, Morinobu; Ajayan, Pulickel M.

2012-01-01

We report on the current-carrying capability and the high-current-induced thermal burnout failure modes of 5-20 µm diameter double-walled carbon nanotube (DWNT) fibers made by an improved dry-spinning method. It is found that the electrical conductivity and maximum current-carrying capability for these DWNT fibers can reach up to 5.9 × 105 S m - 1 and over 1 × 105 A cm - 2 in air. In comparison, we observed that standard carbon fiber tended to be oxidized and burnt out into cheese-like morphology when the maximum current was reached, while DWNT fiber showed a much slower breakdown behavior due to the gradual burnout in individual nanotubes. The electron microscopy observations further confirmed that the failure process of DWNT fibers occurs at localized positions, and while the individual nanotubes burn they also get aligned due to local high temperature and electrostatic field. In addition a finite element model was constructed to gain better understanding of the failure behavior of DWNT fibers.

AlignMe—a membrane protein sequence alignment web server

Science.gov (United States)

Stamm, Marcus; Staritzbichler, René; Khafizov, Kamil; Forrest, Lucy R.

2014-01-01

We present a web server for pair-wise alignment of membrane protein sequences, using the program AlignMe. The server makes available two operational modes of AlignMe: (i) sequence to sequence alignment, taking two sequences in fasta format as input, combining information about each sequence from multiple sources and producing a pair-wise alignment (PW mode); and (ii) alignment of two multiple sequence alignments to create family-averaged hydropathy profile alignments (HP mode). For the PW sequence alignment mode, four different optimized parameter sets are provided, each suited to pairs of sequences with a specific similarity level. These settings utilize different types of inputs: (position-specific) substitution matrices, secondary structure predictions and transmembrane propensities from transmembrane predictions or hydrophobicity scales. In the second (HP) mode, each input multiple sequence alignment is converted into a hydrophobicity profile averaged over the provided set of sequence homologs; the two profiles are then aligned. The HP mode enables qualitative comparison of transmembrane topologies (and therefore potentially of 3D folds) of two membrane proteins, which can be useful if the proteins have low sequence similarity. In summary, the AlignMe web server provides user-friendly access to a set of tools for analysis and comparison of membrane protein sequences. Access is available at http://www.bioinfo.mpg.de/AlignMe PMID:24753425

Stress reaction process-based hierarchical recognition algorithm for continuous intrusion events in optical fiber prewarning system

Science.gov (United States)

Qu, Hongquan; Yuan, Shijiao; Wang, Yanping; Yang, Dan

2018-04-01

To improve the recognition performance of optical fiber prewarning system (OFPS), this study proposed a hierarchical recognition algorithm (HRA). Compared with traditional methods, which employ only a complex algorithm that includes multiple extracted features and complex classifiers to increase the recognition rate with a considerable decrease in recognition speed, HRA takes advantage of the continuity of intrusion events, thereby creating a staged recognition flow inspired by stress reaction. HRA is expected to achieve high-level recognition accuracy with less time consumption. First, this work analyzed the continuity of intrusion events and then presented the algorithm based on the mechanism of stress reaction. Finally, it verified the time consumption through theoretical analysis and experiments, and the recognition accuracy was obtained through experiments. Experiment results show that the processing speed of HRA is 3.3 times faster than that of a traditional complicated algorithm and has a similar recognition rate of 98%. The study is of great significance to fast intrusion event recognition in OFPS.

Analytical method for predicting plastic flow in notched fiber composite materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flynn, P.L.; Ebert, L.J.

1977-01-01

An analytical system was developed for prediction of the onset and progress of plastic flow of oriented fiber composite materials in which both externally applied complex stress states and stress raisers were present. The predictive system was a unique combination of two numerical systems, the ''SAAS II'' finite element analysis system and a micromechanics finite element program. The SAAS II system was used to generate the three-dimensional stress distributions, which were used as the input into the finite element micromechanics program. Appropriate yielding criteria were then applied to this latter program. The accuracy of the analytical system was demonstrated by the agreement between the analytically predicted and the experimentally measured flow values of externally notched tungsten wire reinforced copper oriented fiber composites, in which the fiber fraction was 50 vol pct

Fabrication of Aligned Polyaniline Nanofiber Array via a Facile Wet Chemical Process.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Qunhui; Bi, Wu; Fuller, Thomas F; Ding, Yong; Deng, Yulin

2009-06-17

In this work, we demonstrate for the first time a template free approach to synthesize aligned polyaniline nanofiber (PN) array on a passivated gold (Au) substrate via a facile wet chemical process. The Au surface was first modified using 4-aminothiophenol (4-ATP) to afford the surface functionality, followed subsequently by an oxidation polymerization of aniline (AN) monomer in an aqueous medium using ammonium persulfate as the oxidant and tartaric acid as the doping agent. The results show that a vertically aligned PANI nanofiber array with individual fiber diameters of ca. 100 nm, heights of ca. 600 nm and a packing density of ca. 40 pieces·µm(-2) , was synthesized. Copyright © 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Calibration results using highly aberrated images for aligning the JWST instruments to the telescope

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Koby Z.; Acton, D. Scott; Gallagher, Ben B.; Knight, J. Scott; Dean, Bruce H.; Jurling, Alden S.; Zielinski, Thomas P.

2016-07-01

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) project is an international collaboration led by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, MD. JWST is NASA's flagship observatory that will operate nearly a million miles away from Earth at the L2 Lagrange point. JWST's optical design is a three-mirror anastigmat with four main optical components; 1) the eighteen Primary Mirror Segment Assemblies (PMSA), 2) a single Secondary Mirror Assembly (SMA), 3) an Aft-Optics Subsystem (AOS) consisting of a Tertiary Mirror and Fine Steering Mirror, and 4) an Integrated Science Instrument Module consisting of the various instruments for JWST. JWST's optical system has been designed to accommodate a significant amount of alignment capability and risk with the PMSAs and SMA having rigid body motion available on-orbit just for alignment purposes. However, the Aft-Optics Subsystem (AOS) and Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) are essentially fixed optical subsystems within JWST, and therefore the cryogenic alignment of the AOS to the ISIM is critical to the optical performance and mission success of JWST. In support of this cryogenic alignment of the AOS to ISIM, an array of fiber optic sources, known as the AOS Source Plate Assembly (ASPA), are placed near the intermediate image location of JWST (between the secondary and tertiary mirrors) during thermal vacuum ground-test operations. The AOS produces images of the ASPA fiber optic sources at the JWST focal surface location, where they are captured by the various science instruments. In this manner, the AOS provides an optical yardstick by which the instruments within ISIM can evaluate their relative positions to and the alignment of the AOS to ISIM can be quantified. However, since the ASPA is located at the intermediate image location of the JWST three-mirror anastigmat design, the images of these fiber optic sources produced by the AOS are highly aberrated with approximately 2-3μm RMS wavefront error consisting

Synergetic effect of topological cue and periodic mechanical tension-stress on osteogenic differentiation of rat bone mesenchymal stem cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yao; Yang, Guang; Ji, Huanzhong; Xiang, Tao; Luo, En; Zhou, Shaobing

2017-06-01

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are able to self-renew and differentiate into tissues of mesenchymal origin, making them to be significant for cell-based therapies, such as metabolic bone diseases and bone repair. Regulating the differentiation of MSCs is significant for bone regeneration. Electrospun fibers mimicking natural extracellular matrix (ECM), is an effective artificial ECM to regulate the behaviors and fates of MSCs. The aligned electrospun fibers can modulate polar cell pattern of bone mesenchymal stem cells, which leads to more obvious osteogenic differentiation. Apart from the topographic effect of electrospun fibers, mechanical cues can also intervene the cell behaviors. In this study, the osteogenic differentiation of rat bone mesenchymal stem cells was evaluated, which were cultured on aligned/random electrospun fiber mats materials under mechanical tension intervention. Scanning electron microscope and immune-fluorescent staining were used to directly observe the polarity changing of cellular morphology and cytoskeleton. The results proved that aligned electrospun fibers could be more conducive to promote osteogenic differentiation of rat bone mesenchymal stem cells and this promotion of osteogenic differentiation was enhanced by tension intervention. These results were correlated to the quantitative real-time PCR assay. In general, culturing rat bone mesenchymal stem cells on electrospun fibers under the intervention of mechanical tension is an effective way to mimic a more real cellular microenvironment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.